1. Why does Dave respond negatively to the ham “neckliss” removal?
2. In what two ways is the story Julius tells in “Dave’s Neckliss” different from the other conjure stories we’ve read?
The titular necklace is not exactly what one might expect. The plot is about a slave accused of stealing a ham and the unusual punishment conferred upon him: being forced to wear a chain around his neck to which the ham has been affixed. The punishment does take a strange twist which might well be considered the residue of “conjuring.” When the punishment finally ends and the ham necklace is removed, the slave breaks down psychologically by first wearing a necklace substitute before believing that he himself is a ham. The story climaxes with the slave committing suicide among hams by hanging himself inside a smokehouse.
