Zora Neale Hurston's Janie Character Analysis

As time progresses, Janie and Joe’s relationship goes from arguably unloving to abusive. After Joe beats Janie for the first time, “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 knew that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over,” (Hurston 72). In this moment, Janie is really realizing that everything she wanted to have with Joe was just a projection of her hopes and dreams. The way the narrative voice gives concise and simple sentences shows the disappointment in Janie’s thought process. The rhythm also mirrors the brokenness of Janie’s

Janie has made all of her decisions regarding her relationships based off of her attempt to escape her current situation. She now realizes that she was merely projecting her dreams onto Joe, and that is partially why their relationship has not developed into the beautiful love she idealized as a young woman. It is through the violent exchange that Janie heals herself from the ills of her misconception regarding her relationship with Joe, which creates a sense of irony within her wakeup call. This is a decisive moment for Janie because it helps lay the foundation for Janie’s ability to act as her own woman after Joe’s

Janie is continuing to put on her outward appearance so that she is not being disrespectful, but she is also hoping this is the beginning of a new life for her even though she is well into her forties. She sees the world as her place to wander, showing that she does not feel confined to anything without Joe. At this point, Janie is not deeply connected to the community and has the money to live on her own without depending on anyone. Another mention of spring maintains the motif of Janie looking for new things in a positive light. It also shows a type of rebirth for her because she is no longer confined to the regulations of anyone. Joe’s death is really the first time Janie has been on her own because as she was growing up she had to obey her grandmother, then was married off to Logan, and then married to Joe, so she has never really had the chance to explore herself without being confined to