The Emperor Jones: Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

Jones reaches the edge of the forest as night falls. He looks around, appears satisfied that he's where he's supposed to be, and then falls to the ground in exhaustion. He talks to himself and pants that he made it just in time as he pulls out a bandana and wipes at his sweaty brow. Jones remarks that being emperor is a poor way to prepare for such a long, hot hike, but he laughs and assures himself that the worst is yet to come.

Jones looks at the forest, and with awe he admits that Smithers was right: the forest is extremely dark. He turns away; to avoid looking at the forest, he speaks to his feet. Jones praises his feet as he takes off his boots and inspects them for blisters. They're only beginning to get hot, and he reminds his feet that they have a long way to go. Sitting back, Jones listens to the tom-tom and grumbles obscenities about the natives, wondering if they'll ever get sick of beating their drum. He wonders if they're starting their chase and looks back across the plain, but decides that the rapidly falling night would make them impossible to see anyway. He shakes his head and assures himself that the natives are miles behind, and there's no reason to worry.

Changing the subject, Jones re-laces his boots and decides he's getting nervous because he's hungry. When he finishes putting on his boots, he scans the ground, looking for a particular white stone. He spots it and crawls to it, thrilled by the prospect of food—but there's nothing under the stone. Jones reasons that he isn't quite in the right spot, and he reaches for another white stone. There's nothing under it either. Frantically, Jones scrambles around, turning over white stones without success.

Jones jumps to his feet and decides he must be in the wrong place, but he cannot figure out how he got lost when he followed the path. He almost whines as he says he's hungry and needs to eat to work up strength, and he resolves to somehow find his food. Jones remarks that it's pitch black now, and he lights a match to look around. The tempo of the tom-tom increases as Jones, bewildered, wonders where all the white stones came from, since he only remembers one. With a gasp, Jones flings the match from him, puts it out, and wonders if he's going mad: lighting a match is stupid, and will only show the natives where he is. He looks over his shoulder, his hand on his gun, and wonders again where his food is.

As Jones scans the plain, the "little formless fears" creep out of the forest towards him. They're grub-shaped and black, about the size of a child, and have glittering eyes. Jones turns to face the forest and studies the tops of the trees for a moment before declaring that nothing looks recognizable, and the forest is strange. He asks the woods if they're trying to trick him, and the formless fears laugh at Jones mockingly. They squirm towards him as Jones looks down, notices them, and yells in terror. He leaps back and pulls out his gun, threatening to shoot.

Jones fires, and the rhythm of the tom-tom increases again. The little formless fears scuttle back into the forest as Jones stands and listens, seeming more confident with the gun in his hand. He speaks to himself again and says that the formless fears were certainly just wild pigs who probably rooted up his food. Jones assures himself that they weren't ghosts. Suddenly, Jones exclaims that he gave his location away when he fired the gun, and it's time to enter the woods. He hesitates at the edge and then urges himself on, telling himself that there's nothing to be scared of.