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Janie character analysis essay
Analysis of janie and her relationships with her husbands
Janie's character development
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She expected to obey for her husband like others. “He ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” reveals that she did everything to his happiness not for her. Even though she is a wife of a mayor, she didn’t get any privilege rather she lost her social relationship with other people. She lived under the dominance of her husband
Janie has been through hard times, even as a young girl. She lived with her grandmother who took care of her because her mother ran off when she was young. It is because of her grandmother, who wants to be in control of Janie’s life and wants the best for her, that Janie ends up marrying a rich man and getting a good education. However, this is not what Janie really wants. Janie is more interested in happiness and love than being rich, high class, and educated.
I. INTRODUCTION: a. Janie compares to love as a budding tree. Her love struggles throughout the book. b.
The townspeople’s envy of Janie is rooted in internalized racism--one that favors light skin and other Eurocentric facial features. The porch-sitters of Eatonville also find it strange that Janie, who was at a higher social class before she met Tea Cake, come back to Eatonville and present herself in a way typical of a laborer. Although Janie yearns for a sense of community within Eatonville, the porch creates a division rooted in envy and internalized racism amongst the black community. Furthermore, as Tea Cake rapidly gets more sick, Janie acts upon self-defense and is forced to kill Tea Cake. That same day, Janie was to be put on trial in the courtroom.
In early chapters especially, the author uses personification to connect the main character to the setting. Janie, who also serves as the narrator, gives her perspective on her relationships with her current and previous husbands. Joe Starks, her second husband, was very controlling over every aspect
Janie began her life at a terrible disadvantage due to her grandmother’s philosophy concerning love. This philosophy dictates that love is born out of security, not romantic or sexual attraction. Love- Nanny teaches-
Throughout Janie’s search for true love, she experiences different kinds of relationships. Even though she gained strength from the protective love of Nanny and Logan, it was Jody’s and Teacake’s love that influenced her the most. With Logan, his protective love does not satisfy Janie for the love she wanted, which lead Jody to help Janie escape from the protective love. When Teacake appears, he offered a new kind of love: fulfilling, happy, and true love. In Their Eyes were Watching God, Jody and TeaCake's love ultimately built Janie’s true character.
She does not care about what society or her grandmother wants her to do. She took a stand, not only for gender equality but also independence for herself. Janie is tired of being a servant, specifically to Joe, but also to society and her grandmother?s expectation. Janie wants equality, independence, and happiness. This response is the start of a ?new?
Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, forces Janie to marry a man she is not in love with out of convenience. Nanny does not want Janie to suffer the necessities of life, but Janie cares little about materials and seeks love. Nanny’s ideology haunts Janie for much of her life, influencing decisions she takes later in marriage. Huston says, “The memory of Nanny was still powerful and strong,” which shows how Janie conforms to the ideology her grandmother instilled in her. And although Janie conforms, she continues to question inwardly about love.
In conclusion Jannete had to become independent at a young age but also worried about her mother and
Though Janie faces loss multiple times through the deaths of these people that she loves dearly, she gains qualities in herself which she can use later in her life. In her first relationship with Joe, Janie is continually oppressed in terms of when she’s allowed to speak and how she controls her own appearance but this oppression only works to shape her personality into one that can speak back and be more assertive in front of anyone. By having to be in a situation where she has to choose whether to shoot Tea Cake, she becomes more resilient and proactive. Only through the loss of youthfulness and two loved ones is Janie able to truly discover who she, conveying Hurston’s larger message that self-discovery is fueled through loss and
In life, some people are motivated by selfish feelings or desires but sometimes these selfish ambitions have a negative effect on other people as in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. In this novel, Janie is a character who is on a journey motivated by finding herself, however, the desires of others always seem get in the way. Nanny’s selfish ambitions are the first to affect Janie on her journey, soon followed by Joe Starks, Mrs. Turner, and even Tea Cake. Throughout this novel, the strive for money and power are recurring desires that inevitably result in unhappiness and pain for Janie. It all starts with Nanny, in this novel Janie’s grandmother only wants the best for Janie and she thinks her decisions are in Janie's best
Janie’s courtroom case showed that lack of respect her fellow town mates tend to obtain. “ …the courtroom scene, in Chapter 19, after which Janie is comforted by white women but scorned by her black friends” (SparkNotes-Themes). Despite feeling disowned, Janie kept faith internally because her independence and care for herself made her realize that whatever effect comes along the way, she will have closure. Living for one-self motivates Janie to live the life that she never had the opportunity to live due to living under individuals that betrayed her destination for
Next, Janie marries Joe Starks and they go to Eatonville, Florida, a town created entirely by and for blacks. When they first arrive into town they quickly realize the town is in desperate need for leadership. Janie volunteers Joe to become major because of his wealth and his strong personality. Joe also buys a grocery store and has Janie work there. At this point in the novel Janie is content, but soon after the true colors of Joe start to emerge.
In the 1930’s, lives of women strongly depended on the man they were married to as well as their race. In their eyes were watching god by Zora Neale Hurston, an older Janie Crawford recalls the life she lead as a young african american woman in the 1930s. As Janie describes the decisions she’s made, it is evident that Janie is far ahead of her time. Throughout the novel, Janie consistently demonstrates behaviors that defy the conventional image of the african american women around her.
