Poetry · Chapter
Gypsy Man explained
A woman laments her gypsy-like lover who never comes home, deciding she too must become a wanderer.
What happens
A woman laments her gypsy-like lover who never comes home, deciding she too must become a wanderer. She recalls her time in Memphis where she was mistreated and had her last dime taken by a man she loved, concluding that love is a painful, incurable disease.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs in the final line, "Tell them to leave you alone!..."—a raw, defiant outburst that s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Loss
The speaker's love for the gypsy man leads to her financial and emotional ruin, illustrating love as a painful, inescapable affliction.
- Poverty and Class Struggle
The speaker's loss of her last dime to a 'yellow papa' highlights the economic vulnerability and exploitation faced by poor women.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Ma man’s a gypsy Cause he never does come home.”
My man is a wanderer because he never returns home.
Establishes the central conflict of the speaker's abandonment.
“I give it to him cause I loved him But I’ll have mo’ sense next time.”
I gave him my last dime because I loved him, but I'll be wiser in the future.
Shows the speaker's regret and resolve after being exploited.
“Love, Oh, love is Such a strange disease. When it hurts yo’ heart you Sho can’t find no ease.”
Love is a peculiar illness; when it pains your heart, you can find no relief.
Summarizes the poem's theme of love as a painful, incurable condition.
