In Jean Toomer's Cane, as critic Meagan Abbott writes, women are "damaged by functioning primarily as vehicles of other people's meaning." Using a combination of prose and poetry, Toomer metaphorically alludes to the effects of sexuality on Karintha, the protagonist of Cane's first short story, "Karintha," over time. Because of her sensual beauty, Karintha is prematurely thrust into the sexual arena without her doing so, becoming weighed down rather than invigorated by her beauty. His early exposure to licentious prowlers leads to the loss of his identity. Toomer's language exposes Karintha as a damaged "vessel" of a patriarchal society, in which men are the decision-makers, occupying positions of power and prestige, ultimately allowing them to define reality. The imagery allows Toomer to express the harsh reality of sexual victimization. of Karintha. Her beauty, the product of mixed racial heritage, is described as “perfect as twilight when the sun sets” (3). Karintha's beauty, not Karintha as a person, was "the male's interest" (3). She was a sought-after sexual object, to be gained, used, then discarded. From a young age, “old men would ride [Karintha] on their knees” (3), a sexually suggestive act inflicted on her, rather than one in which she participated, confiscating her free will. Because Karintha was a child, she was vulnerable to adults who abused the power of their age. Likewise, men continually abused their supposed patriarchal right to use Karintha in any way they wished, regardless of her approval. Young and old men waited to mate with her, older men asked God for "youth" while young men "counted the passage of time", as if Karintha remained speechless in the face of her own wishes ( 3). Men wish...... middle of paper ......the dawn of the end of a day, and the decline of Karintha's happiness (3). As a teenager, Karintha was “a wild lightning bolt who told others what it was to live,” declaring her independence (3). Once people began talking about her mischief as she "stoned cows, beat her dog, and fought other children," she began a rapid descent into adulthood (4). From then on, the old men “could no longer ride their hobby horse on their knees” and the young men “counted faster”, knowing that Karintha was approaching the time when she could mate. As part of a chain reaction, men began to earn and save money because they thought they only had to "count time" but money alone would not be enough to satisfy Karintha's needs (4). During childbirth, "Karintha's child fell from her womb", indicating that the birth was unintentional rather than planned..