The turning point in the novel for me was Jody striking Janie after the unsatisfactory dinner. This sudden jolt allowed her to finally realized Jody was not the person that she met. She had tried to disguise Jody's true self with her own version of him but that had been completely destroyed after steadily cracking since they arrived in Eatonville. Her imagination had finally run dry and now it was time to accept reality. When I first read this, I was annoyed to some extent. Why hadn't she realized this sooner? His mistreatment of her had begun long before this revelation yet she still managed to shake it off time and time again. We know that Janie never really knew who Jody was, but just assumed he was the one to save her from Logan. Of course, since she was 17, it wouldn't be fair to question why she didn't realize the moment she met Jody but it's perfectly reasonable to wonder why she didn't sooner into the marriage.
We see an incredibly different Janie when she meets Tea Cake. After rushing into two bad marriages, Janie takes her time and really thinks things through this time around. Although I felt she should've waited a bit longer to marry him, at least she didn't do so immediately. It was nice to finally see Janie experience true love and you could tell it was the only thing that mattered when they moved to the muck. Even through the tedious work and the wild hurricane, their love was enough to keep them going.
Now I want to touch on the pistol under the pillow. While others questioned why she didn't remove all the bullets or simply get rid of it altogether, I saw it as way for Janie to know when it was time for Tea Cake to die. She knew the minute he pulled the gun on her that he had reached maximum insanity and it would be cruel to let him live any longer. Had she not loved him so much, I think she would've put him down much sooner. It was when Janie held the dying Tea Cake in her arms that I felt real sympathy (for her) for the first time. I was also impressed how she was able to compose herself and move on with her life.
When we contrast Jody's funeral with Tea Cake's, we see an even further evolved Janie. With Jody, Janie only cared about the appearance of mourning while with Tea Cake, she is genuinely devastated, not even bothering to wear black. We also see that Janie no longer cares about what others think of her. She know that they haven't experienced what she has and therefore can never understand her. Hurston ends with Janie at peace which was really heartwarming.
I really applaud Hurston for developing such a strong female character. There aren't enough of those, especially as protagonists.
I think you're right in saying that Janie has changed a lot over the course of the novel. Her evolution as a character becomes clearer after every relationship. But I'm wondering how strong of a character Janie really is. Her whole life is defined by these other men and when Tea Cake dies, it seems like Janie is ready to stop living too.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until I read this post that I realized that I didn't really like Janie at first either. I was so ready for a female character that I guess I was a bit blinded from her shortcomings at first, but I'm glad that she went through that character development. I guess I understand where Janie is coming from in taking so long to see what Jody's faults were. I was also annoyed that it took her 7 years to accept that something was wrong, but also that she stayed with him for another 13 years after that! But, Janie really wanted a man and maybe she was blinded by that desire, so she forgave some of Jody's faults. I agree that Hurston did a phenomenal job with Janie's change in character over the course of the novel and, in response to Iulianna's comment, I think that Janie isn't the strongest character ever, but compared to how she was at the beginning of the novel, she really has developed a lot, and I'm glad she got stronger.
ReplyDeleteI would disagree with Iulianna--I do not think that from the end of the novel we get that Janie is ready to stop living (because she doesn't have a man). In fact, that end bedroom scene suggests to me independence--she no longer needs a man. Janie is not dependent on her first two husbands. She has no choice to "obey" Jody but I don't think it is anything like an emotional dependance. With Tea-Cake however, I think that because she had not been able to have that emotional dependence before, she craves for it in that relationship.
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