Janie's Journey through Relationships
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, circulates around Janie’s life and how each stage of it is defined by her relationships. Janie battles with finding true love and dealing with relationships in conjunction with discovering her own independence. Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks, provided nothing of excitement to her, as their marriage was arranged by her grandmother. Janie believed that she would grow to love him as their marriage progressed, however, that never happened. All Janie wanted was to be loved and treated well. Although Nanny may have pushed her own ideals on her about how marriage was supposed to be more of a financially and socially beneficial engagement, Janie herself couldn't keep herself in a marriage just for those factors. Leaving Logan Killicks allowed for Janie to eventually enter into a mindset that she would not stay with someone who she didn’t feel fulfilled by, although not initially. Janie’s perfect idea of a marriage from Nanny had been crushed and it took time until she met her next husband to believe in any type of love again. Hurston explains, “She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman,” demonstrating Janie’s heartbreaking realization that marriage was not what she had dreamed (Hurston 25). Janie needed to become confident in herself again, as being with Killicks had made her grow codependent.
Janie’s next relationship with Jody Sparks was almost worse than Logan Killicks. She was unable to use her voice at all, and this relationship blocked any means she had of expressing herself. Initially attracted to his way of dressing and confident demeanor, Janie was soon under his control, as he used her as a puppet for his role as Mayor. When a relationship is that high stakes and high energy, it drains you. Janie had to put on a mask and pretend to be someone who she wasn't while receiving nothing in return from Jody to strengthen their relationship. He restricted who she talked to, which broke Janie because talking with the townspeople was one of the things she cherished most about being the Mayor’s wife. Joe, “[...} didn't want her talking after such trashy people,” although he never actually took into account how happy it made Janie (Hurston 53-54). After Jody passed away, Janie’s remorse was combined with a sense of relief as she was now free from his controlling ways. At this stage, Janie felt as though she needed to be alone for a change and actually enjoyed the feeling of being alone.
Janie’s final relationship is with Tea Cake, who is supposedly her final and true love. From the first moment they met, Janie felt treated like an equal, and having never experienced that, Janie was even more attracted to his kindness. Their marriage and relationship was seemingly wonderful, besides a few bumps in the road. I believe that although Tea Cake is painted as the perfect man for her in many aspects, some of his actions speak louder than his words, and are incredibly questionable. In the situation regarding him going out with his friends, he uses the excuse that he didn’t think she would want to come. I find this excuse odd as it means that he chose to make an assumption about her opinion on something, without consulting her first. I believe that although Tea Cake may have been the best man for Janie out of her three husbands, Janie deserved someone better.
Great post! Overall your post is easy to follow and has a strong argument. I like how you used quotes to support your argument. I also think your argument about Janie needing to gain confidence again interesting. I hadn't really thought about that, but I definitely agree with it.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I especially like the point you make about how Janie's relationship with Jody was draining because of how controlling and abusive he was. You do a good job of supporting each of your paragraphs and your writing is clear and concise. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Amalia! You did a really nice job of investigating Janie's development through her relationships with her three husbands. You make a good point on Tea Cake's deceitful sides, describing the instances where his motives seem suspiciously unclear. Thanks for the great read!
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrific post! I really like how your post flows very naturally, making it easy understand your points. The points you make are incredibly strong as you supply each with evidence and examples. I agree with your point that outwardly, in comparison to the others, Tea Cake may have appeared to be the best option of the three. However, Janie should not have to look for the best option from the few choices she is given, but rather, someone who is right for her regardless of comparison. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and very detailed. I think tracking Janie's life party through her relationships is what Hurston was trying to do, but also to understand that Janie changes because of things that happen outside of those relationships or within only Janie.
ReplyDeleteHi Amalia, this is a great blog post! I enjoy your in depth analysis of each marriage of Janie's. I especially agree with your statements about Janie's marriage to Jody, in that Janie had become a puppet and had to put on a mask. I felt that you depicted the power of manipulation in that relationship very well in your writing. I liked how after each summary about the marriages, you wrote about Janie's takeaways, view of herself, and self growth. I agree that "Janie deserved someone better."
ReplyDeleteThe resolution of Tea Cake's sketchy behavior around the $200 and the party does result in an increased degree of understanding and closeness between Tea Cake and Janie, in a way that I think is relevant to your analysis of her relationship with Jody. Tea Cake still assumes that Janie is "high class" to some degree, and that she wouldn't be interested in hanging out with his sketchy railroad friends--this perception is partly due to the way Jody "classed her off" and refused to allow her to interact with regular people in a natural way. However bumpy the road to this new understanding, this episode resolves in the form of Janie affirming that she wants to "partake in everything" with Tea Cake, and this leads to them going to the Muck, an environment that he previously would have assumed she'd want nothing to do with. And as we've seen, the Muck setting proves transformative for Janie in a number of ways. So however uncomfortable readers might be with this scene, within the arc of the story Janie tells about her own experience, it is a crucial moment of her and Tea Cake coming to an understanding.
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