For example:
Hurston writes that Janie views "her life like great tree in leaf with things suffered, things, enjoyed, things done and undone" (8). The simile comparing Janie's life and a tree with all its leaves suggests that Janie feels she has a vibrant life and connects Janie to the natural world.
A quote I find very interesting is on page 73, in it the narrator explains that, “This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store.” I find it interesting just how jealous joe becomes. Looking at it from the feminist perspective, he takes Janie's power away by forcing her to dress a certain way and not show her hair. By doing this, he is telling her that it is her fault if she is admired by other men. I think the power dynamic is something that will continue to be very interesting to me.
ReplyDelete- Mary-Clare
DeleteOn page 91, Joe gets mad at Janie and slaps her. The narrator explains, "Janie stood where he left her for unmeasured time and thought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered". I found this very sad because when Joe was first introduced as a character, he seemed like a very nice person compared to Janie's previous husband, Logan. However, it is now clear that Joe is no better than Logan, as he too treats Janie unkindly. I thought this was really disappointing because I had hoped and assumed that Janie was going to be much happier with Joe. Maybe this theme of disappointment and hopes not coming true will continue to occur throughout the story, as it has already come up multiple times.
ReplyDeleteJoe assumes a responsibility over Janie that somewhat resembles the responsibility Janie’s grandmother had over her: “She wasn’t even appreciative of his efforts and she had plenty cause to be. Here he was just pouring honor all over her; building a high chair for her to sit in and overlook the world and she here pouting over it!”(81). Both Joe and Nanny try to give Janie the life that they think she wants, but it’s really just their own desires in life being pushed onto Janie’s life.
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie realizes Jody bought the mule for $5 to let him finally be at peace from Matt Bonner she says to her husband, “Jody, dat wuz a mighty fine thing fuh you tuh do. ‘Tain’t everybody would have thought of it, ‘cause it ain’t no everyday thought. Freein’ dat mule makes uh mighty big man outa you. Something like George Washington and Lincoln…. You have tuh have power tuh free things and that makes you lak uh king uh something" (78). Janie and the rest of the town, compare Jody's liberation of the mule to be honorable and similar to Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation of northern slaves. It is ironic that the town views Jody as a noble figure, since he treats Janie very poorly and is controlling. He commands her to wear a head rag, because he is jealous and insecure when he sees men gawking over Janie's long beautiful hair.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Burge
DeleteJoe has complete power over Janie and never really bothers to communicate with her. He doesn't consider voicing his emotions like jealousy, "That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was". He orders her around all the time, and in that case, when he felt jealous when someone touched Janie's hair without her noticing, he just "ordered Janie to tie her hair around the store", he doesn't voice his emotions (in this case jealousy): "But he never said things like that. It just wasn't in him", and the way it is said lets the audience wonder if he doesn't say anything because of his lack in communication, or because he is a man and at that time, they didn't need to justify themselves. And finally, she seems like an object of Joe's possession, "That was all. She was there in the store for him (him in italics) to look at, not those others", just like she is just some decoration piece in the store.
ReplyDeletep 73
DeletePg 78. 2nd Paragraph. My question is what is the significance of the phrase "drag out" being repeated so many times? Is Hurston using this phrase to emphasize the setting itself or is this just a natural occurrence that can be seen.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that the most prominent mention of nature in this chapter was in a discussion about hot stoves (pg. 83). As we discussed in class, Janie, as the hero of the story, experiences a deeper connection to nature. In the previous chapters this has come across through descriptions of where she spends her time and so on. However, in this chapter, nature is not used as a sanctuary by Janie. One mention of nature is surrounding people touching hot stoves. The other focus of nature in the chapter is about vultures. I think this pattern shows that as Janie grows less and less content with her life, the nature imagery changes to show this discontent.
ReplyDeleteI was confused by the passage where the focus on the mule shifts from the town’s perspective to that of the vultures. It was really strange when they started chanting “‘What killed this man?’ Bare, bare fat’” because the message is creepy and it is the first time the novel ventures out of its usual realism. It also seemed weird that the vultures describe the mule as a man. I’m wondering why this part was included and why it breaks so much from the usual text.
ReplyDelete“Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation. ‘Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was ‘bout y’all turning out so smart after Him makin’ yuh different; and how surprised y’all is goin’ tuh ne if you ever find out you don’t know half as much ‘bout us as you think you do. Is so easy to make yo’-self out of God Almighty when you ain’t got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens.’ ‘You gettin’ too moufy, Janie,’ …”(94-95). In this passage, Janie finally stands up for herself against Jody and the other men which represents how she does not want to be oppressed by Jody’s control. She says that men don’t know as much about women as they think they do, but it’s easy for them to think they know everything since there are only women and chicken to overpower. Despite Janie speaking out, Jody still continues to silence her.
ReplyDeleteJanie seems like she is starting to realize Joe’s full control over her as on page 72 she questions, “Why couldn’t he [go run the store] himself sometimes?”, after frequently pulling her out of conversations with the town gossips to manage the store. Why has she not found her voice like she did with Logan yet to stop Joe controlling what she hears and where she goes?
ReplyDelete- Tilly Hamer
"Lum, I god... right away" (75). I wonder why she made his character use more slang words, and have a more immature vocab compared to the rest of the characters in this scene, and I wonder if it was supposed to show us something and or convey a message for this part of the story.
ReplyDelete"The business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn't seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was... She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others" (73). When Janie was with Logan she might not have been living a very glamorous life but she was free to be herself and express herself freely. On the other hand, with Joe she is being controlled by him. He controls what she can do and say. She is starting to realize that maybe she isn't living a fairy tale life. Joe's true colors are showing and he seems very insecure for someone who comes across so confident.
ReplyDeleteI found Joe’s response to Matt on page 75-76 quite interesting. After recognizing that Janie was thoroughly upset due to the men poking fun at the mule, Joe ends the conversation at once. While this is justified, he proceeds to have Janie bring him a fresh pair of shoes and begins bargaining with Matt for the mule. Despite the fact that the men often made fun of the mule, it was seen as priceless in the eyes of Matt. There was no reasonable explanation as to why Joe had to purchase the old, dying mule from Matt. He took from a man that was already poor and simultaneously flaunted his wealth while doing so through changing his shoes during the transaction. Joe seems to have lost his moral compass due to his newfound power. Actions similar to these are not going to gain him likability but rather resentment.
ReplyDelete"She had no more blossomy openings during pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be. She found that she had a host of thoughts she had never expressed to him, and numerous emotions she had never let Jody know about" (91) Janie's physical attraction to Jody, represented by blooming nature, created a fog under which she never felt inclined to express her honest opinion or feelings of anger or resentment towards Jody.
ReplyDeleteAnd so once that fog was lifted, she could clearly identify her resentment. However, will she be able to take action based off of her true feelings towards Jody?
DeleteOn page 91, Janie understands that "she had no more blossomy openings during pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be." Just like when she explained that she never felt love with Logan through nature, she here uses nature to show that she has now lost her feeling for Joe.
ReplyDeletePage 94 “Tony won’t never hit her. He says beating women is just like steppin’ on baby chickens. He claims ‘tain’t no place on uh women yuh hit,” This raises my question of feminism throughout the novel. To what extent does this scene and this chapter support the feminism the novel claims to have? -Katarina Cosic
ReplyDelete"Janie loved the conversation and sometimes she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge. He didn't want her talking after such trashy people" (72). In this quote it is apparent that Janie really wants to join the fun of talking and making jokes,but her husband has a certain image he wants her to uphold, because he has his own reputation to care for. Joe slowly controls more and more of what Janie does and how she lives her life, ultimately causing her happiness to be slowly taken away.
ReplyDeleteI found the end of the chapter to be very interesting. Janie speaks up which is a big deal for her especially with Joe around. The author even hypes it up by saying “Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation.” 94 What she says is very powerful as well, but it doesn’t matter because Joe shuts her down for being “too moufy” This left me wondering when she is going to leave Joe, since with Logan all the same things were going on, but it seems with much worse with Joe now.
ReplyDeleteOn page 81 Jody exposes some of his thoughts on what he expects from Janie "Joe returned to the store full of pleasure and good humor but he didn't want Janie to notice it because he saw that she was sullen and he resented that. She had no right to be, the way he thought things out. She wasn't even appreciative love his effort and she had plenty cause to be. Here he was just pouring honor all over her building a high chair for her to sit in and overlook the world and she here pouting over it" Its clear that Jody doesn't understand some parts of Janie, and thinks she always appreciates status when that's rarely the case. Later Janie looses a lot of admiration for him and his image. At what point does the relationship turn sour? -Evan Bak
ReplyDeleteAfter Jody slaps Janie, she “...stood where he left her for unmeasured time and thought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over” (91). This proves how Janie is so caught up with her desires for love, that she unknowingly follows whatever she thinks will fulfill her dreams. However, at this moment she realizes her mistake in mixing her fantasy with reality, and marrying Jody.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom paragraph on 91 represents a change in Jamie's sense of self. Its interesting to look about on the notes we took last class on the two relationships and add on to it seeing how this relationship has taken away her voice and she finding that she isn't standing up for herself in times of need, which is in contrast with how she stood up to Logan.
ReplyDelete-Edward
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note how Jody buys the mule for Janie's sake. Jody's "evil" does not come from his desire to create pain, but as a result of his selfish action. He buys the mule for Janie's sake, but refuses to let her go to its funeral. In addition, he is unable to resist the sense of power and glory that came with saving the mule. The vultures eating at the mule represent good intentions destroyed and perverted by human selfish desire.
ReplyDelete- Seiyoung Jang
On the bottom of page 76, Janie praises Jody for buying the mule because he used his power to set someone free, which she compares to Abraham Lincoln. While this tender moment is meant to remind us that Jody is not necessarily the representation of evil, it's not actually as noble as it appears. From a feminist perspective, although Jody wants to do something to make Janie happy, he doesn't do it in a way that recognizes her as equal because as long as he taps into the money he makes from the rigid gender hierarchy that he upholds, he is not actually supporting anyone's freedom but his own. Perhaps this comparison to Lincoln is commentary about who he really was. It was Lincoln who said that if he could preserve the union without freeing a single slave he would do it. This demonstrates an inherent power imbalance in someone we tend to think of as someone who believed in equality.
ReplyDelete-Jona
Delete"She went through many silent rebellions I’ve things like that. Such a waste of time and life. But Joe kept saying that she could do it if she wanted to and he wanted her to use her privileges. That was the rock she was battered against" (73)
ReplyDeleteWhat is considered to be the "waste", is it working in the Post office or is it the silent rebellion?
-Alicia
DeleteOne interesting passage about Jody comes in on page 73, "The business of the head-rag irked her endlessly....He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store". I think Jody's jealousy of Janie comes from a genuine love for Janie which clouds his perception. His love is expressed in a highly unhealthy and controlling way.
ReplyDelete“That night he ordered Janie to tie her hair up around the store. That was all. She was there for him to look at, not those others”(73). I think that this quote demonstrates the jealous and controlling nature of Jody. From this quote Jody is portrayed to have control of every aspect of Janie’s life. Thus Janie is unable to live a life of independence as Jody has control over almost everything in her life. In addition I think that this quote represents Jody’s desire to have power over everything in his life.
ReplyDelete"She got up without a word and went off... A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her. People ought to have some regard for helpless things. She wanted to fight about it."(75). Because Janie isn't willing to stand up for her own rights, she feels the urge to defend another helpless thing. She feels powerless to help herself, so she channels any rebelliousness she might be feeling into wanting to help someone other than herself.
ReplyDelete"Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation"(94). Janie seems to be sticking up for herself more and speaking for herself. This shows that the she's changed her attitude around Joe as seen in chapter 5 when Janie had the chance to make a speech but Joe interrupted her which Janie accepted and at the beginning of chapter 6 when "She got up without a word and went off for the shoes"(75).
ReplyDeleteAngie Zhao
DeleteJoe "Didn't buy [the mule] fuh no work....[he] bought dat varmint tuh let 'im rest" (76). It is ironic that Joe's can express his empathy towards the suffering mule but can not carry on this empathy into his marriage with Janie, which slowly deteriorates as the novel progresses.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is interesting how much Janie's hair is mentioned in the text. I feel like her hair represents some sort of femininity or something similar to that. On page 73, it is implyed Janie's hair is something that makes her attractive and that men seem to notice/admire. Joe forces Janie to put her hair up because he doesn't want her to get attention from other men, but Janie likes having her hair down. I think that Janie wearing her hair the way she wants it is kind of a way for her to take some sort of control in her life.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the chapter on pg 69, the people on the porch’s conversation is described as “passed around pictures of their thoughts for the others to look at and see , it was nice...”. I wondered why Hurston used this kind of language about large, child-like drawings to describe the people’s conversations.
ReplyDeleteCamden
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ReplyDelete
DeleteAn interesting quote about Joe as a person is found on page 72,”They’s jus’ some puny humans playin’ round de toes uh Time”. We already can tell how ambitious he is as a person but outright calling the townspeople “puny humans” implies that he feels like he’s a god. It’s a strange, almost dark line. I have a question about the second half of the quote “round de toes uh Time”. I’m assuming it’s it means hands of time like hands on a clock but why would Hurston capitalize the T in time? It’s like she’s trying to personify time but I don’t see the reason in this case.
I found the quote "She wasn’t petal-open anymore with him. She was twenty-four and seven years married when she knew. She found that our one day when he slapped her face in the kitchen. It happened over one of those dinners that chasten all women sometimes…. [H]e slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears…" extremely interesting. In this quote, Janie and Jody’s relationship dynamic becomes clear, and highlights Jody's need for control. Initially drawn to Jody because of his ambition, and thinking that she would achieve her dreams through him, Janie learns that Jody’s power only restricts her. In her mind, Janie had created a dream of a never ending happy marriage with and is slowly realizing that it is unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteAfter Joe slaps Janie, Janie finds out that "she had a host of thoughts she had never expressed to him, and numerous emotions she had never let Jody know about... She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen. She had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew now not to mix them" (91).
ReplyDeleteI find this quote interesting because in this moment Janie realizes she has been lying to herself that she has been living her life dream when she really is not. Janie realizes that she does not want to be with Joe. This may hint that she will mature throughout the novel by going through this cycle of marrying men and becoming unsatisfied multiple times.
"She got up without a word and went off for the shoes. A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her... But Ah hates disagreement and confusion, so Ah better not talk"(75) Similar to what we discussed in class, it seems like Janie has lost most of her spunk and seems defeated ever since she was with Joe. It seems like there is a combination of factors inhibiting Janie's true personality from showing such as Joe's strong charisma and energy compared to Logan's. I also feel like she feels as if shes obligated to obey whatever Joe commands because it was "what she wanted".
ReplyDelete"Not that he wanted anybody else, but just too many women would be glad to be in her place. He ought to box her jaws!"(81). This quote is interesting because it's written from Joe's perspective and is clearly biased towards his worldview, but we have all the information and we get to look at it from our perspective. Janie is mad at him for forcing her to stay behind during the mock funeral, and as we learn earlier on page 79 there are in fact other women at the funeral, implying that the only reason he had for keeping her behind is due to his insecurity. It's interesting that Joe is so blind or uncaring about the effect his actions have on Janie that he thinks any woman would want to be in her position, when the other women in the town actually enjoy more privileges than she does because they aren't tied down to Joe.
ReplyDelete(it's Miro)
Delete"Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation."
ReplyDeleteThis is important because Janie had finally let out how she feels. she had held in so much greif and madness. She had held those words in so so wouldnt start any conflict. When she spoke out it was out of anger and all of the holding in she did. She was very brave for finally saying how she felt. At that moment she had realized that she was'nt in love anymore. when she finally spoke out feelings ran out of her body that was trapped inside for a very long time.
The quote “Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows” demonstrates how Jody and his fellow dominant males feel as though they are obligated to watch after and care for the “inferior class”, which this passage is putting emphasis on the women.
ReplyDelete"(Janie) stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over." (pg. 91)
ReplyDeleteHere, we see Janie's fairytale image of Jody begin to deteriorate. The language in this quote varies from how she described him while she ran off with him, where she described him as "flower dust" and "spring time" (pg. 50). This shift in language demonstrates how Janie begins to realize that Jody is not the man of her dreams, but merely the man that she projected her dreams upon. There has been a clear pattern of Janie's hope for love quickly followed by disappointment. I am curious to see if she will ever find true love.
(Sorry this is late- I didn't realize mine never posted)
“But Joe kept saying that she could do it if she wanted to and he wanted her to use her privileges. That was the rock she was battened against”(73). Janie doesn’t stand up for herself because she views her silence during Joes aggression as a necessary sacrifice for a peaceful marriage. His controlling behavior deteriorates her emotional health but she is unable to recognize his manipulation as a significant issue. (Late because I had a little trouble posting this)
ReplyDelete“She sent her face to Joe’s funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world.”(109). Even after he’s dead, Joe keeps Phoeby from doing what she wants, because she has to appear sad that her husband died. After years of living with him, she learned how to hide her inner thoughts and feelings. She’s finally free from Joe, but not from the townspeople’s opinions about her.
ReplyDelete*Janie not Phoeby
Delete“But de minute Ah marries ‘im everybody is gointuh be makin’ comparisons, So us is off somewhere and start all over...”(136). Janie is free from Joe and ready to marry Tea Cake, but she doesn’t want to live under the oppressive view of the townspeople who think she should be grieving Joe. She’s taking a chance and moving away again to ty and start a new life.
ReplyDelete“Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession.”(170). While Jody abused Janie out of jealously, Tea Cake is so emotionally insecure that he beats Janie in advance of her doing anything. His masculinity is directly linked to his ability to keep Janie under his complete control.
ReplyDelete“I god, Ah bought dat varmint yuh let ‘im rest. You didn’t have gumption enough yuh do it” (54). Here we see a moment of kindness through Jody’s facade of mayoral authority. Even so, all of his kind deeds are made in the hope of improving his social status and gaining respect from the people of “his” town.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the chapter Janie joins a conversation with Jody and a few other men, and Jody responds, "You gettin too moufy, Janie"(95). This whole chapter Janie is criticized by Jody for one thing or another and manages to hold her tongue. She speaks a more to people too, and Jody dislikes this probably because he wants to control her and keep her from talking to men. This happens seven years after they were married, and my question is why didn't it (Janie speaking "out of turn" or for herself) happen earlier?
ReplyDeleteEvan
Delete"Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was 'bout y'all turning out so smart after Him makin' yuh different; and how surprised y'all is goin' tuh be if you ever find out you don't know half as much about us as you think you do." I think these men are dismissive to Mrs Robbins the same way Jody is dismissive of Janie's needs all cases, these men desire power, and particularly power over women. Janie's defense of Mrs. Robbins and is following insult to the men Janie has experienced but has yet to express. It is another step in finding her voice. Though the men were not directly abusing her, Janie empathizes with Mrs. Robbins as a victim of male domination.
ReplyDeleteHurston writes on Jody’s instance of abuse toward Janie “She wasn’t petal-open anymore with him. She was twenty-four and seven years married when she knew. She found that our one day when he slapped her face in the kitchen.” The phrase petal-open interests me. I think it’s connected to the other nature metaphors in the book being linked to her dream of having a good partner, and how this moment reminds her that it never came to fruition.
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