In Fenton Johnson’s “The Scarlet Woman,” a Black woman explains how poverty pushed her into prostitution. She begins by remembering herself as “good” like the Virgin Mary and the minister’s wife, but her father’s death right after his insurance lapsed left her with nothing. She had only a white girl’s education and a face that attracted men, and starvation forced her hand. Big Lizzie offered her a way to make money, so she “bowed” to vice. Her tone is not exactly ashamed—it’s blunt, bitter, and full of defensive pride. She boasts of drinking more gin than any man and says gin is better than the water of Lethe, the mythical river of forgetfulness. The poem creates a mood of hard-edged sorrow: she survives, but only by numbing herself.
The Scarlet Woman — Summary
Once I was good like the Virgin Mary and the Minister's wife. My father worked for Mr. Pullman and white people's tips; but he died two days after his insurance expired. I had nothing, so I had to go to work. All the stock I had was a white girl's education and a face that enchanted the men of both races. Starvation danced with me. So when Big Lizzie, who kept a house for white men, came to me with tales of fortune that I could reap from the sale of my virtue I bowed my head to Vice. Now I can drink more gin than any man for miles around. Gin is better than all the water in Lethe.