Through chapters nine to twenty, we are able to see the development in Janie's status as a woman and as a person. As the chapter progresses, we can clearly see that Janie becomes more liberal, happy, and filled with love. This is mostly thanks to a certain man named Virgible Woods, or Teacake. Approaching Janie with "a sly grin" (p.94) one day, Teacake invites Janie to a game of checkers. "She found herself glowing inside." (p.96) Janie becomes so happy that somebody wants her to play checkers and treats her equally. His appearance- "those full, lazy eyes with the lashes curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. The lean, over-added shoulders and narrow waist. Even nice!" (p.94) further brings Janie to feel romantic feelings towards Teacake. With Teacake, Janie spends all her days wonderfully- going to a picnic, a midnight fishing trip, and most of all, just having fun. We can definitely see that Janie finally achieves her long dream of earning true love.
Jacksonville. They both get married, and move there to get a job. Here, they encounter their first conflict. Janie, who was always anxious about whether Teacake truly loves her or her money, notices that her 200 dollars has disappeared. To make it worse, Teacake is out and only returns late at night. However, he quickly redeems himself through his sweet words and jokes. "Ah met plenty women before Ah knowed you tuh talk tuh. You'se de onlies woman in de world Ah ever even mentioned gitting married tuh." (p.121) He adds "Ah no need no assistance tuh help me feed mah woman. From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same." (p.128) His devoted words makes her finally believe that he truly loves her. From this point, Janie decides to believe in him and not doubt him. The next place they move to is the Everglades. "Big Lake Okechobee, big beans, big cane, big weeds, big everything... Ground so rich that everything went wild." (p.129) This place was the perfect place to earn a good amount of money. Picking beans, gambling, practicing shooting, and just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, both Janie and Teacake have a fantastic time there. Janie even gets to work with Teacake. "What if Eatonville could see her now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes?" (p.134) She starts to laugh to herself about how she could not have even dreamed of wearing work clothes and working with the "low class people" in Eatonville. Even though work isn't easy, she enjoys and even loves her life here. "The men held big arguments here like they used to do on the store porch. Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk some herself if she wanted to." (p.134) She does not have to worry about keeping her high status in the Everglades. She can act in whatever manner she wants to, and be free of all the restrictions she had as being the mayor's wife. Here, she probably was able to say that she was truly happy and free.
One afternoon, Janie notices that the Indians started to move east.Warning that a hurricane is coming, they advise Janie and Teacake to move quickly. However, "you couldn't have a hurricane when you're making seven and eight dollars a day picking beans." (p.155) They just decide to conclude that "Indians are dumb anyhow, always were." (p.155) However, they soon find out that you cannot defy nature. A terrible hurricane comes their way, wiping out everything. They could not do anything but hope that god will help them. Their eyes were watching god. As they watch the horror, Teacake asks Janie- "But 'sposing you wuz tuh die, now. You wouldn't git mad at me for draggin' yuh heah?" (p.158) And Janie responds- "If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don't keer if you die at dusk." (p.158) This shows that since Janie attained her dream of true love, she will still be satisfied even if she dies. Her response surely shows that she has reached her ultimate happiness in life, having someone you love dearly next to you. Luckily, in the end, they survive. However, Teacake gets severely ill. He has gotten rabies from the dog that bit him during the hurricane. He becomes weak, and extremely paranoid. To see more of the effect of rabies on humans, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies. His condition gets worse by the day. "Teacake was gone." (p.181) said Janie. And one day, Teacake exploded. He held up a gun to Janie and pulled the trigger. Thanks to Janie's swift thinking, the bullet was not there. As he pulled the trigger again, Janie had no choice but to shoot him with the rifle. He was dead. However, he was free of the pain and mental sufferings.
She returns to Eatonville with a stronger sense of herself. Zora Neale Hurston ends the book with this quote. "She pulled in the horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see." (p.193) This shows that Janie has further developed herself mentally. With all the men she loved gone, she is finally independent. She no longer has anyone to depend on. Janie can now look towards the future that is only about her. And not about someone else. Hurston ends the book with the quote to show the readers that Janie has finally become a true, mature woman that does not need anyone to rely on and carry her to the future. I think that one of the most important symbols of this book is the horizon. The horizon signifies future or dreams in this book. "the biggest thing God ever made..." (p.89) Having a good future was always something meaningful to Janie. Even with Nanny, having a secure, good future was extremely important. Later on, of course, Janie's sense of horizon changed to a happier, satisfying future with a loved one. With Teacake, Janie's life was always revolved around him. Everything was with him. Nothing really was just for herself. However, as Teacake died, Janie finally realizes what it's like being independent. She no longer had anyone in her life. There was no Nanny, Logan, Joe, or Teacake. Janie now has to live her life herself, and plan out her future. I believe that Hurston's most important message in this book was that women are as capable as men. Women can live independently and plan out their future. Overall, this book was very interesting. All the hidden values were great to read and analyze. I advise everyone to read Zora Neale Hurston's renowned novel Their eyes were watching god.
In chapter four, Zora Neale Hurston suddenly shows a jump in time; Janie has already lived for almost a year with Logan Killicks, her husband. From the beginning of the chapter, the author straightforwardly says that Logan has stopped his good attitude towards Janie. "You done been spoilt rotten." he says. He wants Janie to work, but she replies with a stern no, and reminds him of the fact that she does enough work around the house.
Then again, Hurston shows a passing of time; it is now spring. Spring has always been the season of new beginnings, warmth, hope, and most importantly, love. And Janie, according to the seasonal change, finds new love as well. She meets a civilized, charismatic, white-looking African American man named Joe Starks. "...walked like he knew where he was going...HE didn't look her way nor no other way except straight ahead." (p.27) Among all those good attributes he seemed to have, what most catches her mind was that he looks forward, or he has vision. With a cool cup of water, their relationship begins. Joe seems to treat Janie like a princess. "A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yo'self and eat p'taters dat other folks plant just special for you." (p.29) His belief that Janie should not work and his good manners makes her believe that she has fallen in love with him. Eventually, with every other meeting, she falls more in love with him, to the point that she decides to run off with him. So when she looks at her contrasting husband, Logan, who thinks she should work, Janie immediately feels anger. "S'posin' Ah wuz to run off and leave yuh sometime." she threatens. Logan feels scared, and it pains him to think about it, but he does not show it with his words. Rather, he insults her, saying "A whole lot of mens will grin in yo'face, but dey ain't gwine tuh work and feed yuh." (p.30) As their fights get worse, Janie finally runs off with Joe, without any regret and with hope for a happy future. In chapter five, Hurston shows a distinct change in Janie's appearance; she goes from a ordinary house-woman, to almost a white-looking, rich African American woman. She receives apples and a glass lantern full of candies. And most importantly, next to her is her new husband, Joe Starks, who does not seem scared at all, and is rather excited to see the new African American town. However, in contrast to their excitement, the town is very disappointing. So, Joe gets to work. He buys 200 acres of land for the town, without hesitation. He builds a store and a post office. He gets everyone working efficiently and the town organized, and this allows him to become mayor. In his inauguration speech, Joe confidently shows that he will work for the best of the town. When people ask for a speech of Janie, Joe cuts Janie's words and tells the people that wives should not make speeches. This marks the start of the degrading treatment of Joe to Janie. Joe also buys the first street lamp for the town. This brings pride and a festive feeling to the town, bringing more respect to Joe. "Showin' off his learnin'." "he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows." (p.49) People have different emotions towards Joe, but they all agree that the town, and they, need Joe. Within just a few days, Joe already brought himself as such an important person for the town, to the point that the town cannot function without him. In chapter six, the author clearly shows the change in Joe's caring attitude towards Janie. Unlike what he promised, of not letting her work, he makes Janie work at the store. Also, unlike her hopes of having a beautiful life with love and hope, Janie lives a boring life. "And every day had a store in it, except Sundays." (p.51) However, the little joys in her life are the talks of the town. For example, the humorous talk about Matt Bonner's harshly-treated mule. Everyone jokes around, and Janie likes to do as well. However, Joe scolds her by saying "You'se Mrs. Mayor Starks, Janie. I god, Ah can't see what uh woman uh yo' stability would want tuh be treasurin' all dat gum-grease from folks dat don't even own de house dey sleep in." (p.54) He also makes her hide her hair in a rag because he saw another man admiring her hair. Joe is a very possessive, status-oriented man. However, he seems to still care for Janie, as he buys the ill-treated mule that Janie felt sorry for, for its freedom. His act of freeing a mule instantly earns him more respect, and even a kingly status. "You have tuh have power tuh free things and dat makes you lak uh king uh something." (p.58) The mule becomes a symbol for freedom, and hope for the African Americans as well. However, later on, it dies and people make a funeral and a festival for it. Everyone has fun, while Janie is forced to stay at the store. As time goes on, Janie's freedom becomes limited. Joe's control over her gets worse and worse, to the point that Janie wonders if she ever loved him or not. "It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered... she had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be... She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen." (p.72) For example, Janie gets ridiculed as incompetent for not being able to find any pig feet for the costumer. She even gets slapped at a dinner for not preparing the food well enough. However, every time she receives those harsh treatments, Janie remains silent. She keeps on keeping her emotions bottled up, building hatred over time. Eventually, she explodes; she humiliates Joe's old age and manliness in front of all the towns people. In chapter 7, Hurston starts with this statement-"The years took all the fight out of Janie's face." (p.76) She began to just accept Joe's bad-tempered attitude. "No matter what Jody did, she said nothing" (p.76) She also realizes she never loved Joe. She thinks about running away, but she has nowhere to go. She has already lived almost twenty years with Joe, and as she says "...nothing was the same at all." (p.76) While Janie is living a unhappy, heartless life, Joe is suffering through age, insecurity, and humility. "Joe wasn't so young as he used to be. There was already something dead about him." (p.77) Joe is not the same as he used to be, and is losing his charismatic, strong look and attitude. Scared of aging, Joe becomes insecure and makes fun of Janie's age. "You ain't no young pullet no mo'. You'se uh ole hen now." (p.77) By saying hateful comments to Janie, Joe tries to deny the fact that he's old now, and he's not his young self anymore. After the humiliation he received from Janie, Joe's insecurities become worse. "...pity the man that owned them...would be giving him their merciless pity out of their eyes while their mouths said something humble." (p.80) He believes everyone is now making fun of him and laughing at him. Embarrassed, and extremely mad, he concludes that "There was nothing to do in life anymore. Ambition was useless." (p.80)
In chapter eight, Janie and Joe's distant relationship is revealed. They sleep in separate rooms, and rarely talk to each other. However, one day, Janie notices his sick looking appearance. "baggy... like bags hanging from an ironing board." (p.81) she describes him. She realizes that he was indeed sick, and is calling every doctor he can to cure himself. Worried, Janie brings some soup to him, but is greeted with a pained voice. "Ah'm havin' uh hard enough time tuh try and git well as it is." (p.82) Janie feels guilty, and brings a real doctor to examine Joe. However, she receives very bad news; Joe's kidneys have stopped working and he will eventually die. She meets him for the last time, but Joe does not welcome her, and reacts very cold towards her. "Much as Ah done fuh yuh. Holdin' me up tuh scorn. No sympathy!" he screams. With pity, Janie tells him she's decided to tell him what kind of person she is before "it's too late." This extremely frightens Joe. "don't tell me Ah got tuh die... Leave heah, Janie..." (p.86) He tries not to hear what Janie is saying, and denies the fact that he's going to die. Janie coldly tells him that he's not the same person she met; He was egoistical, and power-hungry. Then, Joe suddenly chokes, and dies. Janie pitifully stares at Joe, then stands up, and looks at herself in the mirror. "The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place." (p.87) She has finally become a real woman, one who overcame pains and hardships and became strong.
There were many symbols in these five chapters, but I believe the most significant was the handkerchief. This handkerchief was used to cover up Janie's beautiful hair. It represents Joe's control over Janie, how possessive he was, and how self-oriented he was. He did not care how Janie felt about the situation, and just ordered Janie around. She always had this handkerchief around her hand when she was with Joe, receiving those harsh treatments. However, when Joe dies, she tears off this handkerchief, revealing "plentiful hair." (p.87) Looking at herself in the mirror, she realizes "the weight, the length, the glory was there." (p.87) Her hair has remained strong and beautiful just like before. Her action of tearing off the handkerchief signifies the end of her relationship with Joe, and her determination of ending everything, and starting a new beginning. Also, her beautiful, healthy hair shows how strong she is, and how she became a real, powerful woman, who is not scared of anything now.
I believe the most important theme was pride in these few chapters. A person's pride is said to be the most powerful, beneficially and detrimentally. It's beneficial in a way that it strives you to do your best, but detrimental in a way that it makes you deny and say things that aren't on your mind. The detrimental side was both shown with Logan and Joe. When Janie threatened to run away, Logan says that it's useless, and that no-one will really want her, even though he's scared to death in his mind. His hurtful comments keep on repeating, and later on Janie runs away. The reason Logan said these comments was his pride. His pride was what kept him from begging Janie not to run away. His pride was the most largest barrier that kept him from trying to improve his relationship with Janie. And eventually, his pride led to his downfall, even though he truly loved Janie. This is the same with Joe. Joe purposely humiliates and hurts Janie, physically and mentally because of his pride. He keeps on forcing himself to think that he's still powerful and young. But deep inside, he knows the truth, and that's what twists his personality. But his pride he's had for mostly his life denies the harsh, cruel reality, and it leads him to mistreat Janie. Later on, he realizes on his death bed that he should have truly talked with Janie to improve their relationship. Both men's prides led them to their downfall in their relationship. To learn more about pride's effects, go to this website: http://www.helium.com/items/838221-the-effects-of-pride Personally, these chapters were very interesting. Many events happened so quickly, yet we're not half-way done with the book. I do not yet know who "Teacake", Janie's lover, is. I will have to read on more to figure out more of the story, and how Janie will progress as a "real woman."
