This theme seems to be the theme of the year...don't quote me on this, but I believe it comes up in every major work that we'll read this year (mainly because we're going to be reading about some oppressive and corrupt societies from which people feel the need to break free...). It is, as you know, a great problem of everyday life as well; what we want to do doesn't always neatly line up with our social responsibilities. For example, I feel like eating four doughnuts but I have a track meet in twenty minutes. Hmmm, what should I do? Okay, not the best example because I also risk stomach upset on a massive scale. Let's have you come up with the example. Let's say you want to become the greatest [fill in blank of your dream job here] but society, or the powers that be, will not allow you access to this career because you are (too young, too old, too female, too male, etc). What should you do? In this case, we need to ask the question: Who is right in this situation? You or society? Are you a moral person living in an immoral society? If that's the case, what should you do? On the other hand, does society ask us to make sacrifices that are actually beneficial to us in the long run? Is there a middle ground? When living in groups of people, will we always have to make individual sacrifices in order to live together? How do we know when we've sacrificed too much (to society, a community, or a relationship)? Are there some things that should never be sacrificed? Where do we draw the line?
Getting back to our novel, does Janie do what she wants to do or what others or society thinks she should do? Does she make some mistakes? Does this change throughout the course of the novel? How do her three marriage illustrate this theme? When is she happiest? When is she most successful in society's eyes? Do these match up? Hmmmm, what do you conclude from all of this? What is the message, according to Hurston? You could ask her; she's right there-----> with a very cool feather on her hat. Where do you weigh in on this discussion?
I would have to say that Janie is half and half on the situation of individual desire vs. social responsibility. Throughout the novel, she struggles with gaining others acceptance while trying to find her own happiness. While trying to find happiness, she falls into the hands of her two husbands, Logan and Jody, in which they treat her poorly. Janie has a good name to her, but she is not happy herself. With her first marriage, Janie married Logan because Nanny insisted her to, not because she wanted to. Janie figured that once she was married, everything fell into place; although, the marriage brought everything to her that was not good for her well-being. Even though Nanny thought she was doing the right thing by forcing that marriage, it was very detrimental to Janie. Janie made the mistake of falling for mistreatment not once, but twice; she made the mistake of relying on things that left her empty instead of being fulfilled. In her mid-thirties, Janie finally realized that it can only be one or the other; whether she could choose to be happy and do what her heart longed to do, or stay back sulking on that tired, lonesome town. The part in which the story really got interesting is when she finally chose her individual desire over the social responsibility, going off to be with the man of her dreams, Tea Cake. she was truly happy when she was free, choosing what she wanted to do. Janie's first two husbands wanted to shelter her away from the world, and her second husband, Jody, only wanted her to take-part in things that would be "acceptable" from a woman of her stature; however when she was with Tea Cake, he looked to her as an equal of himself. He took her to do many things with him in which other higher-up citizens wouldn't find right. For example, one night, after midnight, he takes her out fishing with him. Janie "...felt like a child breaking rules." (Pg. 102) Throughout these meetings with Tea Cake, Janie comes to discover that out of anyone she has ever been with, Tea Cake truly makes her the happiest because their love was real. On the other-hand, society saw her as being the most successful when she was the mayor's wife, having wealth and material possessions at her feet. Throughout it all, Janie came to realize that happiness is found in love, not in material possessions, or wealth. Along with this, I believe that that is the message in which Hurston longed to portray to her readers.
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ReplyDeleteIn every relationship that Janie pursues in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she suffers setbacks because of what society and other people expect her to do, and boosts her morale when she follows through with her desires. The first “social responsibility” Janie encounters is when Janie’s grandmother (who she calls Nanny) caught Janie kissing a boy she didn’t approve of, so her grandmother forced her to marry a rich farmer named Logan Killicks. Janie realizes why her grandmother wanted her to spend the rest of her life with him because he can provide her with a great house and countless acres of land to farm on. Janie knew instantly that Logan Killicks isn’t the right man for her after he wishes Janie to farm with him. She made the mistake of not sticking up for herself to her grandmother to make her happy after living a hard life. Janie assumed she would be better off running off with Jody Starks, but it was actually just as bad. Similar to Killicks, Starks had great wealth and he also acquires incredible social status and popularity since he was the mayor of Eatonville. Janie thought her life would be perfect because of how loved she is in the community, as her and Jody are known as the perfect couple. However, Janie is dying on the inside because Jody gives her no voice. She is not allowed to participate in much town gossip and has to stay in the store that they own at all times. Janie makes the mistake yet again of not fulfilling her happiness by not voicing her opinions to Jody. Janie does learn through her marriage to Jody that money does not equal happiness. Shortly after Jody dies, Vergible Woods or “Tea Cake” appears and they soon fall in love. Janie was definitely accepted in society for her great successes in money while married to Jody, but she was the happiest while with Tea Cake. With Tea Cake, Janie can be herself and she doesn’t have to be sheltered from people in the community, which is how Jody treated her. Tea Cake is the complete opposite from Jody since he isn’t materialistic, and participates in an endless amount of activities with Janie. He simply teaches her how to have fun and Janie loves every second being with him. I believe with Zora Neale Hurston’s message that happiness is more important than materialistic objects. To conclude, Janie learns this message as she grows as a person throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Janie has one major dream that she wants to pursue; she wants to find true love. Her dream finally comes true in the end but throughout the whole novel she is trying to make others happy. In trying to make others happy she doesn’t follow her dream, she does what someone else wants her to do. In her first two marriages, no matter what she did she couldn’t find happiness; she was always trying to make her husband happy. She was all ways working so hard to cook the very best food and trying to keep the house clean for Mr. Killicks, but that wasn’t enough he wanted her to help in the fields as well. When she was married to Joe Starks she was treated like a queen; she was the mayor’s wife, all the women in the town dreamed about having as much power as she had. Once Joe started getting too busy as Mayor of the town he made her work outside of the home as well; she had to manage the store. She was only truly happy when she was married to Tea Cake her true love. Society couldn’t believe that a woman with so much money and power would run off with a boy like Tea Cake who didn’t even have a penny to his name. Hurston is trying to show the reader that if you try to make everyone else happy; you’re never going to be truly happy.
ReplyDeleteWhen people live in groups, you will always have to sacrifice something to keep the peace. You know you've sacrificed too much if you find yourself constantly unhappy because you have to cater to other people's wishes. Janie does make the mistake of being a people-pleaser in the beginning of the novel. Although she protests at the idea of being married to Logan Killicks, she goes through with it anyways to please her grandmother. Once Janie realizes she can't spend her life with him, she succumbs to her individual desire and takes off with Joe Starks. Not long after they're together, she has to act in away that others tell her too yet again. This is a marriage that society believes makes her appear very successful, but Janie is not happy at all. This success only occurs because Starks keeps a tight control on her and forces her to look after the store. This is a good example of sacrificing too much because Janie feels she is living for the purpose of others, not living to chase her dreams. Once Janie gives up on fulfilling society's standards, she falls in love and becomes truly happy for the first time. Tea Cake and Janie don't have much, but they have each other. I believe the message Hurston is sending means that when it comes to hopes and dreams, everyone should follow their individual desire. Social responsibility is good to keep people on track with the more superficial things in life, but in the end everyone wants to find happiness.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the entire book yet, but from what I've read so far, Janie mostly does what other people want her to do. After she kissed that boy and her grandmother saw, her grandmother told her she had to get married. Janie didn't want to, but her grandmother persuades her by telling her stories of when she was in slavery, and stories of her mother, and how she wants to Janie to have what she didn't, which was safety and security. But Janie wants something more than that, she also wants a physical and emotional connection. After she marries Logan, she stays with him in hopes that she will someday love in, but it never happens. She got so tired of it that she ran off. I think Janie silences herself for too long, then she bursts out. Janie is happiest when she is expressing herself. Logan was too dull so she could hardly express herself, and all she did was dream of what was beyond the horizon for her. When she met Starks, he was picture of ambition and a way for all her dreams to come true, so she married him. I think that was a mistake because she barely knew him, and there was no way she could tell how controlling and power hungry he would become. However, I don't think she should of stayed with Logan either. Some sacrifice has to be made in every relationship to a certain point, like time and letting people in. But with Logan, Janie sacrificed the kind of relationship she wanted, and wasn't fulfilling her needs. With Starks, she sacrificed her freedom of self expression and speech. In both relationships, she sacrificed her happiness. I think that's where the line is drawn.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel she does what Nanny wants her to do, marry Logan Killicks. That is her first mistake. Then she does what she wanted to do which is marry someone she wanted, Joe Starks. He changes over time when they are married and Janie no longer sees the man she talked to the first time the met. She is most successful in society's eyes, but not in her happiness. This is another mistake. When Tea Cake comes into her life, she then is happy. Society doesn't approve, but Janie is finally happy! Her relationships change greatly throughout the novel of what kinds of people she married. Janie made her Nanny happy when she married Mr. Killicks. She made society happy when she is married to Joe. Janie made herself happy when she married Tea Cake. This happiness was all about love. Yes this all matches up. In conclusion, Janie found out what made her happy and all the sacrifices she had made to get to it.
ReplyDeleteJanie does both what she wants, and what others want. Janie does what she wants in the beginning of the novel when she wears her hair down. The town thinks Janie is too old and should have her hair up, but she keeps wearing it how she wants to prove that she is independent. She also does what other people want her to do by marrying Logan. This was a mistake because Janie was not happy and the marriage did not last. Janie is happiest when she marries Tea Cake. She is seen as most successful when she is married to Joe Starks, but Janie is not happy. I think Hurtson is saying that in order to be happy you have to do what you believe in, and not become pressured into doing things other people want you to do.
ReplyDeleteJanie goes both way here- she does what she wants, but she also does what others want her to do. For example- Janie does something she wants to do by talking to Tea Cake, even though most of the people frown upon it. Janie does what others want her to do, such as when her grandmother tells her to marry Logan. Janie makes plenty of mistakes in this novel. She had one of two paths to choose from- being societies figure of a woman, or being her own person, and she kept changing her personality between the two. This does not change throughout the novel, because sometimes she acts like what society expects her to act like, and sometimes she does what she wants. Throughout Janie's three marriages, she starts to understand what matters to her is her individual desire. She began with her social responsibility personality, but throughout her three marriages, she was gaining more and more freedom, and that is what Janie wanted. Janie is happiest when she is with Tea Cake, being her own person, but society thinks that she is most successful when she is filling her role as a housewife. These two are exact opposites of what makes Janie happy and what makes society happy. The conclusion from all of this is that people in life want to be happy by doing what they want, but society disagrees with that if that person does not fill their social responsibilities. Hurtson is sending the message that a person should please themselves even though it may disappoint the society.
ReplyDeleteJanie wants to break away from the usual, and rebel.She marries many times to show that if she isn't happy;she can have better,instead of keeping the marriage and avoiding divorce.Janie lets her long hair flow,rather than keeping it up, like most people her age do. Janie is socially sanctioned for not being "normal" and following the norms.Janie does what society wants by trying to be a good wife and be okay with being hit,and treated like property. Being treated that way only lasted for a little while because,Janie decided that she should do what she wants,and makes her happy.
ReplyDeleteJanie follows society’s desires as well as her own desires throughout the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Janie makes societal mistakes like when she left her hair down and she was too old. Janie does change throughout the novel through her three marriages. Her first marriage to Logan is her grandmother’ vision of how Janie’s life should be. Logan is rich and her grandmother (Nanny) knows that he will be able to support Janie. Janie marries him thinking she will be able to fall in love with him. Later in their marriage Logan says that Janie is spoiled and treats her poorly. Janie leaves him for a man named Joe Starks and marries him. In this marriage, Janie follows society’s desires and social responsibilities. Janie stays in the shop and works and takes on a woman’s role while Joe maintains a man’s role. Joe watches Janie and makes sure she does what she’s supposed to do. Janie is controlled by Joe and isn’t able to accomplish her individual desires. Joe gets sick and dies and Janie leaves him for Tea Cake after realizing that she couldn’t fall in love with Joe. In this marriage, Janie follows her individual desires. She goes out with Tea Cake to places considered unfit for women and wears her hair as she pleases. She finally finds the man she truly loves and is the happiest with him. Janie is considered the most successful when she is married to Joe Starks. I conclude that society’s views aren’t everything and that individual desires can be more important. The message according to Hurston is that individual desires can lead to happiness and that social responsibilities aren’t always right.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I think Hurston's message is also very similar to Ayn Rand's also, along with the ideas of many other rational egoists, anarcho-capitalists, individualists, libertarians, and social darwinists that the desires of the individual trump those of society when they conflict with that person's right to pursue his or her own happiness. I think that theme is very well illustrated when the collective (society) demands that Janie not marry Tea Cake, though she believes it is the right thing to do for her own happiness.
DeleteJanie does what she wants to do and what society wants her to do. Janie also made some mistakes through out the story. Janie loved Nanny but made her first mistake by doing what Nanny told her and marring Mr.Killicks. Then she does what she wants and runs away with Jody. There in Florida with Jody society saw her as a very successful woman, but she wasn't happy with Jody. When Jody told Janie to do something she did what she was told. When Jody died she ran off with Tea Cake. Janie was happiest with Tea Cake and she would do what he would tell her to do, but she also did what she wanted and Tea Cake didn't mind. When Janie follows her individual desires she is the happiest, and when she follows societies desires she is viewed as successful, but not happy. Hurston's message is to follow your individual desire and you will be happier than if you do what society thinks you should do.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of this novel Janie is definitely a people pleaser. Janie's grandmother wanted her to get married, but she had no desire to. Her grandmother decided it would be better for Janie because she was going to die soon and thought Janie needed a man to look out for her. Janie was not happy in her marriage with Logan Killicks, but it made her grandmother feel better and much happier. Another example of Janie and social responsibility is during her second marriage with Joe Starks. Joe wants Janie to be acceptable for the town and act the way a woman should. Janie pleased Joe by being reserved and not voicing her opinions. Also doing whatever Joe wanted like running the store. Half way through the novel Janie meets Tea Cake. They fall in love instantly and Janie starts her third marriage. Being married to Tea Cake was completely different than her last two marriages. Tea Cake treated her equal to himself and she was able to be true to herself. This is where individual desire took place. She was happy by choosing Tea Cake even though the rest of society thought she was crazy. She did not care what the entire town thought. The town believed she was most successful in her marriage with Joe Starks because she was the mayor's wife, but Janie knew she was most successful with Tea Cake. Joe Starks and Logan Killicks gave her material items, but Tea Cake fulfilled her with love. I believe Hurston is trying to get the message across that being who you are and doing what you believe is best will work to your advantage in the long run.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, Janie does what her Grandmother thinks is best for her; which is marry a wealthy man and be spoiled. This is also how society sees fit for a married couple. So Janie marries her Grandmother's choice, Logan. It turns out to be one of her first mistakes because Janie doubted her feelings for Logan, but never felt anything towards him. She realizes that she wasn't happy and leaves Logan for Joe Starks, a man with an ambition to create a town and give everything to his wife. After promising all that, it turned out that Janie's second marriage was similar to her first. Jody kept her within the store and didn't allow her to talk to folks from town. Everyone envied her because it seemed as though she was happy and had everything she could possibly want. Both marriages were a mistake because they left Janie unhappy and feeling neglected. She realizes that she doesn't care about society's way as long as she is happy. After Joe dies, she talks to another man, Tea Cake. He was much younger than she was, but they both fell in love. Even as the small town of Eatonville frowned upon Janie's actions, she still left town with a man she loved. Even though society disliked Janie marrying a younger man, she did what she desired. The message is to find your happiness before you try to impress society.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel, Janie does exactly what her grandmother wants her to do by marrying Logan Killicks. Janie is the least happy in this marriage as she tries her hardest to love him, but finds she never will. Janie starts to disobey the invisible rules of society when she runs down the road to marry Joe Starks. In her marriage with Joe Starks she is indeed happier but still feels an emptiness within her soul. Society sees her as an incredibly successful woman, because she is the mayor's wife. Janie still did not feel right with this marriage, as she was merely just a porcelain doll set up on a shelf for the town to admire. After Joe had died, Janie broke the rules of society by talking to Tea Cake and wearing blue like he wanted her to. The town felt as though she had not grieved long enough, but Janie did not stop wearing blue. Many of the people in Eatonville could not believe the old mayor's wife would stoop low enough to go for a guy like Tea Cakes. Janie was the happiest in her marriage to Tea Cakes, because she had finally found love. It is clear to me that the message Hurston was trying to get across was to do what makes you happiest, despite what society thinks about it.
ReplyDeleteIn my point of view, Janie rushes to conform to society even though her heart tells her differently just so that she can be accepted by her family and society. Without much thought, she marries a man she never had feelings for so that her family will be happy that she's living well off and will never have to lift a finger. Janie decides that that's what is best for her and deals with it until she can't stand not having love in her marriage. This is where she realizes her first mistake, but still tries to figure out how to make the marriage work. Later on, she gives up, thinking of it as a battle she'll never be able to overcome herself, and runs off with another man she feels would fulfill the emptyness that her last husband left. Though society thought she was best off with her first husband, she felt she needed more than just the land and money to be happy; she seeked love. Her second marriage seems to go fairly well and both of them feel content for a while, Janie working in the shop and her huband the mayor of the town. As things to her were going smoothly, she had a few rough patches in her marriage, though not as bad as the last one was. Years later, her husband dies and leaves her the whole town to herself. She doesn't feel too badly about his death, but still decides not to marry again for a while. By now she has wised up quite a bit from the begining of the novel and it shows to the reader that it takes more that just a few years to learn everything that there needs to be to become a well-rounded person in society and that you shouldn't always be so easy to conform to it.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie puts aside her individual desires to do what is expected of her; however, as the novel goes on, her desicions to do what she wants as opposed to what others want from her change greatly with every marraige. At first she marries Logan to please her grandmother and assure her she will be taken care of even though this is not what Janie prefers. It is during this marraige that she is most successful in society's eyes because she is married young and takes her place in the home where women at this time belonged. At the beginning of her marragie to Joe, she again puts aside her desires to be the perfect wife Joe wants her to be and their town expects her to be. As the marraige presses on she starts to express her own wants and acts out in the eyes of the town despite what they think of her. It isn't until her third marraige to Tea Cake that she completely starts making desicions because of her individual desires instead of because of her social respnsibilities. Although the town frowns apon her and Tea Cake's marriage, she doesn't care anymore because it's what she wants. It is during this marraige that she is the happiest because for the first time she is soely doing things for herself. I think Hurston's message is that one will never be truly happy if they live trying to please everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning Janie does what her grandmother wants for her because she falls for the lie that with marriage love will follow when in truth it is the other way around. By making the mistake of marrying just for the sake of security she winds up in a marriage with a man she doesn't love. Yet, as time passes she strays away from what her grandmother wanted for her and goes off with another man,Jody. Then she strays from what society wants by being with Tea Cake after Jody's death which the townspeople do not like. Especially when she wears blue, and they believe she should still be in black for mourning. Throughout the novel her happiest times is with Tea Cake because she has finally found what she wants, and doesn't bother to think of what anyone thinks about her.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning Janie does what her grandmother tells her to do, marry a man that will be able to always support her and make her happy. Although she protests she finally succumbs to the idea of a conventional life. At the first chance she gets she runs off with a future that sounds better than what she already has. Soon she finds out that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Janie finds living with Starks to be bothersome, annoying, and she can't stand the man. She continues to do what seems to be the right choice, the proper choice, the one her grandmother would tell her to choose. As time goes by Janie looks back to the pear tree at her childhood wanting to be young again and erase the pointless years she has wasted with rude men. When Tea Cake comes along Janie is at first unsure of what to do, but eventually her individual desire to be happy and to love trumps everything she has ever known. She and Tea Cake have each other and that's all they will ever need.
ReplyDeleteThe tension between whether or not to fulfill her dreams and her individual desire and to complete the goals that society itself presents to Janie is a big struggle throughout the novel. Janie wants to be happy and to love what she does, but society in general contradicts what she wants. This tension is so great that what Janie chooses to do changes throughout the novel. Janie accepts being paired with Logan Killicks as a social responsibility with an underlying individual desire. She completes the marriage requirement of society, but also wishes to reach her dream, to love someone. The first time she must choose is when Janie runs away from Logan to run away with Joe Starks, in an attempt to fulfill her own desires. Later, in Eatonville, she becomes unhappy because she is forced to work in the shop. She is most successful here in society’s eyes, but she is the least happy. In turn, she marries Tea Cake who makes her the happiest but is in blatant disregard of society’s guidelines. The three marriages illustrate that although she submits to society some of the time, she mainly focuses on her own personal desire. Her happiness and societal requirements are direct opposites of eachother, because when she services society the most, she is the least happy. When she is happiest, she defies society. In all, she comes out still respected but much happier, because Hurston is trying to say that a person should focus on their personal beliefs and desires before trying to fulfill any of society’s predetermined status quos.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel Janie is continually torn between Individual desire vs. Social responsibility. It is a constant battle in Janie's head. On the path to find herself, Janie makes some wrong decisions. She is forced to marry a wealthy man, named Jogan Killicks at a young age because her grandmother caught Janie kissing a boy. Janie did not love Logan but she thought that after marriage everything would fall into place. She soon realizes that Logan is not the man for her when he tries to make her work on the farm. Janie meets Joe Starks, and trying to fulfill her individual desire, she runs away with him. She thought things would be different but as Jody gains social status, as major, Janie slowly becomes less pleased with their relationship. She continues her role as the "major's wife" but, she is secretly unhappy. When Joe dies, Janie feels like a great weight has been lifted of her shoulders and she enjoys her freedom. Eventually she meets a younger man, named Tea Cup, who she falls in love with. He is charming a, he takes her out, and she can be herself around him. She marries him and finally finds her happiness. She follows her own heart and doesn't do what Nanny or society thinks is right. I think Hurston's message is that if you spend your entire life trying to make others happy you will never be able to find your own happiness.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Janie flip flops between going along with her own agenda, and being a "people pleaser" to society. When handling these stressful situations, Janie tends to have a passive-aggressive manner to her; she will bow to the pressure of society, and later do what she wants after having her own needs buried for so long. When she marries off for the first time with Logan Killicks, she is simply trying to be open-minded to others' ideas and values. She later goes and abandons this after finding that that life hadn't suited her needs, so she runs off with Jody in an attempt to seek her own happiness. Jody was originally her source of personal joy, but after he gained higher status and more money, causing him to change. Janie was once again miserable, but her rising social status running the store made her successful from society's perspective. After having broken free from Jody's abuse and death, she ran off with Tea Cake to try and fill her empty heart. Their marriage was the pinnacle of Janie's own bliss, but society saw Tea Cake as the scum of the land, and were disappointed with Janie's decision. As you can see, there are polar differences in Janie's personal desires and her social responsibilities. This is what Hurston's view on the theme: always stay focused on your own agenda, even if it defies everyone elses because you will always be happier that way. I personally agree with the philosophy of Hurston. You may have to occasionally succumb to societal pressures as to not burn bridges, but you should always let your passion and ambition drive you beneath the surface.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the course of the story, Janie gives into her own personal desires as well as the desires of society and those around her. Janie is constantly forced to choose between these two opposing forces, and this struggle is clearly displayed in her three marriages. Her first marriage, to Logan Killicks, was the result of Janie succumbing to her grandmother's wishes. Although Janie does not wish to marry Mr. Killicks, she has a hope that they will eventually love each other. However, this love never comes to be. Janie, giving into her own wishes, leaves her old life to live with a man named Jody Starks. Jody becomes the mayor of a newly-built town, and both Jody and Janie find themselves in a high place in this new community. This position, however, causes the two to slowly tear apart; the pressures and responsibilities of mayorship cause the marriage of Jody and Janie to become cold and unfeeling. In time, Jody becomes ill and passes away, leaving Janie with a newfound freedom. Giving into her individual desires once again, she marries a third time to a young man, younger than her, named Tea Cake. Although society frowns upon a woman of Janie's stature marrying a man as lowly as Tea Cake, Janie is truly happy at last. Janie's love for Tea Cake does not perish, even during the tragedy that ends the man's life. One message that could possibly be taken from the story is that while giving into social responsibilties is likely to end in success, success does not guarantee happiness.
ReplyDeleteJanie changes throughout the course of this novel. In her early years, Janie tries to stick to the status quo that is set forth by society. By the end of the novel though, Janie has learned that it is more important for her to do what makes her happy than to be unhappy doing what society demands. Of course, Janie commits a great number of mistakes along this novelette journey. For instance; she gets herself trapped in a dull and loveless marriage, she runs off with a selfish man for reasons concerning change instead of love, she puts up with domestic violence, as well as many other mistakes. These mistakes, however, lead Janie into “the eyes of God” and mold her into the woman she was meant to be. Janie’s three marriages represent this change from society-pleaser to individualist faultlessly. In her first marriage with Mr.Killicks, Janie indefitely places her social responsibility before individual desires. Janie is does not love, or for that matter, even know the man. She marries Mr.Killicks to please her grandmother and gain a steady clutch in society so she will not turn out like her mother (whom society reprimands). This marriage is without a doubt terrible for Janie. In her second marriage, Janie is at an even balance when it comes to social demands and individual desires. She runs off with a power-hungry man by the name of Joe Starks . which is wrong in societies eyes. However, once the newlyweds reach their destination (Eatonville), Janie succumbs to societies demands for the most part. There are some times though where Janie outsteps the boundaries set by society in this marriage. Such as when Janie speaks out and embarrasses her husband in front of the store audience after he criticized her “elderly” features. This second marriage would be seen as the most successful according to society because as the wife of the mayor she is at her highest point of wealth, physical health, and popularity. However, Janies third marriage is nonetheless, her happiest marriage. In this marriage she does not what society want, but what she wants. She learns to do things that are not “proper” for womenfolk, such as playing checkers and the like. These “unproper” activities bring great joy to Janie. Plus, Janie and Tea Cake have a marvelous relationship with hardly any serious arguments accompanied with lots of laughter and affection. During this final marriage Janie is at her highest point of well-being and spiritual health. As one can see by the likes of these marriages, societies idea of success does not match up with Janie’s idea of success. Janie finds more success in her final marriage while society finds it in Janie’s second marriage. Here, Hurston is trying to point out that individual desires overrules societal demands. In other words, do what makes you happy and forget the rest.
ReplyDeleteThough the novel as Janie experiences more of life she shifts away from trying fulfill the wishes of those around her and instead pursues her own individual desires. In her first marriage, which Janie was forced into by her grandmother, she does not find happiness but lives with Logan Killicks for a year for her grandmother and her responsibility as a granddaughter to make her grandmother happy. When Janie runs away with Joe Starks, it is her first major demonstration of breaking away from social responsibility for her personal wishes but once again in her second marriage she is bound by others. Later, only nine months after Joe’s death, Janie decides to run away with and marry Tea Cake, which the rest of Eatonville is against because they think that she should not marry so soon. This is when she finally proves that she is willing to sacrifice her money and status for the things that she really wants in life: love and happiness. Janie is happiest in her third marriage with Tea Cake but others consider her more successful in her second marriage with Joe Starks, in which she was actually miserable. Thus, Zora Neale Hurston is trying to convey that when a person tries to satisfy others without fulfilling their desires, the person will be unhappy. It is only when one pursues their personal interests that he or she can be truly happy.
ReplyDeleteAll her life Janie has been pleasing others and making them happy, never considering her own feelings and wants. Its okay to please others but you also need to please yourself. At the start Janie made her grandma happy by marrying Mr. Killicks, She wasn't happy herself. After that she made her self happy by leaving Logan and going off with Joe Starks. After being him for a while she lost interest because he didn't make her happy. He made her do things that made him happy and not her. Everything was about Joe and his town, it was never about Janie and what she needed or wanted. Joe died so she went off with Tea Cake and was happy every minute of being with him. When they were together Janie didn't have to worry about making other people besides Tea Cake happy, and she loved making him happy. Janie started out being not being happy and having to please others but by the end of the novel she was happy.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Janie complies with her grandma’s demand that she marry Logan Killicks. Janie realizes that this is a mistake and runs off with Joe Starks, but he also asks that Janie comply with his demands. Janie is not allowed to pursue any of her interests and is even told that she cannot have her hair down while in public. Only when she marries Tea Cake does Janie finally make decisions for herself again. Janie makes mistakes in marrying Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. Janie is happiest when she is married to Tea Cake, but she is seen as most successful in society’s eyes when she is married to Joe Starks. These two situations obviously do not match up. Hurston’s message is that what an individual wants for their self and what society wants from the individual do not always match up. Hurston's other message is that society's expectations may not make an individual happy.
ReplyDeleteEver since Janie was a little girl, she was doing what others had told her. She was following their rules and was never able to do what she really wanted. After Nanny catches Janie kissing a boy named Johnny Taylor, she sets her up with a wealthy man, Logan Killicks. Janie believed that overtime she would grow fond of him, but her feelings never changed. When Janie met Joe Starks, she felt like she could finally be herself. They later ran away together to start a new life, but as time passed, her love for him started to slowly vanish. He became rich, powerful, and always wanted Janie to act a certain way. The years passed and Joe Starks started beating Janie and she started feeling neglected. After Joe Starks passed away, Janie met Tea Cake. Tea Cake was not wealthy and had no power, but he had a big heart. Janie fell deeply in love with him as she realized that you don't need money to be happy, you just need to make the best out of life. Although society favored Joe Starks because he was of higher superiority, he didn't make Janie feel loved or appreciated. Tea Cake made her happy and his affection helped her understand that she shouldn't have to be someone you are not. I believe that Hurston's message was that love should not be about what you own, but should be about your feelings toward someone and how they make you feel. I think she was trying to explain that if you try to please everyone else, you will never truly be happy.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston conveys through Janie’s three marriages that one is truly happy when the wishes of others are ignored and their own wishes are fulfilled. Janie is forced into her first marriage by her grandmother, in which she is completely unhappy, while her grandmother is quite satisfied that her precious granddaughter is taken care of. When Janie proceeds to run off with Joe Starks, she asserts her ability to make her own decisions, but is once again trapped in a loveless marriage because others think that they are a successful couple, simply based on materialistic means and power. Janie finally overcomes all others desires when she leaves Eatonville to marry Tea Cake, even though he has no money or name.
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ReplyDeleteIn Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie confronts the constant internal struggle of personal desire verses society’s expectations. Janie’s personal desires involve falling madly in love and marrying the man of her dreams. What actually happens, through a chain of events, is she follows other people’s advice. Janie marries Logan Killicks to fulfill a dying wish of her grandmother with the hope of falling in love with him. They never did fall in love and their marriage was a failure. Next, she follows the advice of society: marry someone rich and successful. She meets Joe Starks, a mayor of a small town. As the mayor’s wife, she is viewed as upper class and is expected to remain on the front porch and run the general store her husband started. Janie feels isolated and lonely in her new life with Joe. As Joe approaches the end of his life, Janie reflects on the life she has led. After two attempts of marrying people acceptable to society’s eyes, Janie listens to her own voice in her head. Janie marries a man who allows Janie to act and do the things she wants to do without judgment. Tea Cake comes with imperfection but loves Janie and respects her choices. As Janie gets a taste of independence, she realizes that loving Tea Cake allows her to have true love. In the end, society defines Janie as most successful with the mayor, Joe Starks. However, Janie finds herself happiest married to her true love, Tea Cake. Hurston demonstrates that when individuals make too many sacrifices, they risk losing what makes them truly happy.
ReplyDeleteThroughout "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie does both what she wants and what others thinks she should do. Her second marriage to Joe illustrates perfect what society thinks she should do. She is viewed as the mayor's perfect wife, Se is beautiful, obedient, and keeps to herself. This is when she is most successful in society's eyes. In her third marriage to Tea Cake, this illustrates what Janie wants to do. She chooses to be free and true to herself, and connects with this man like no other man she has been with. This is when Janie is at her happiest. This does not match up to me. One would think that society would accept someone at their happiest, but this is not so. I think Hurston's message is; do what makes you happiest in life, not what is correct according to society. Live for yourself, and for no one else in this world.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie follows social norms more than listening to herself, but as the story progressed, she discovered herself and did more right by herself than other people. For example, when she marries Logan She was only marring him because she was completing her Grandma's dying wish. She was just being used in this relationship, it was more a marriage of convenience for Logan and Janie's Grandmother and nothing else. Her second Husband, although still not a great marriage for her. Jody saw Janie more as an object than anything else, but everyone else saw this relationship as socially acceptable. He suppressed Janie and, although he loved her, he silenced her and used her as a tool in his political game. After he dies she only wears mourning colors for two months, but it's understandable. Him dying was like Janie gaining freedom, which i think is represented by her letting her hair down in the store. at this point in the novel is when i think she finally starts to listen to herself and not what everyone else is telling her. If she was still listening to what other people had to say, she would have never married Tea Cake. She marries someone much younger than she, and much poorer. Other people though this was a bad idea and tried to persuade her to marry someone else, but her love for Tea Cake was not just something you could change. She was happy with Tea Cake, she happened to be the happiest when society disapproved of what was going on. When she wore overalls to Tea Cake's funeral she did not care what society thought at all, and it was her way of mourning. She started out by following what people told her to do, and eventually became her own independent person. She was happiest when society was against her, and miserable when she follows social norms. Hurston is trying to tell people to be their own person and make your own choices. All Janie's mistakes in her marriages and her dissatification with them are a perfect example. she was unhappy when society was happy and happy when society disapproved.
ReplyDeleteJanie does what she wants, but she also sacrifices sometimes and does what others want. Janie does what she wants in the beginning of the novel when she wears her hair down. The people around her find this to be immature and think that Janie should put her hair up like the rest of the women but Janie wants to be independent. She also does what other people want her to do by marrying Logan. This was a mistake because Janie was not happy and the marriage did not last. Janie is happiest when she marries Tea Cake because she chose to do this and she really wanted it. She is seen as most successful when she is married to Joe Starks, but Janie is not happy because she didn't truly love him, just his status and things. I think Hurtson is saying that in order to be happy you have to do what you want without making too many sacrifices, and not give into peer pressure when people tell you what you should be doing.
ReplyDeleteThroughout most of her life, Janie does what society wants her to do. Unfortunately, what society wants her to do and accepts the most is what makes her the least happy. In Janie's first two marriages she was a success in society and people accepted her fitting into the roles she was meant to assume. In both situations, however, she was not happy. Janie was happiest when she was going against societies regulations and when she could become herself. Janie sacrifices her happiness for the people around her. She mistakes love for being cared for and mistakes it for money and a high status. Janie is the happiest when she appears most successful to herself and the ones she loves and loves her back. She realizes that looking perfect in society is not what matters and she loses the drive to satisfy the society.
ReplyDeleteJanie changes throughout “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. At first Janie listens to her grandmother. When her grandmother requests that she marry Logan Killicks for stability, Janie ignores her own desires and complies, hoping that one day the marriage will please her as well as her Grandmother.
ReplyDeleteJanie then aims to please the townspeople of Eatonville. She allows Jody to tell her her place in the community even though she desires otherwise. Even after Jody’s death she continues to act for the society. She tells Pheoby that her mourning clothes aren’t for Jody, but for the town.
It’s not until she meets Tea Cake that Janie stops caring what anyone else thinks of or expects out of her. She finally starts living for herself which she finds much more fulfilling than living for a judgmental community.
Janie is an extremely Dynamic character: shes always changing. Janie wants to do things for the good of everyone around her but always deep down does what she wants to do in the long run. Along the way she makes several mistakes in learning whats best for herself. Life is a learning experience, and for Janie it was the hard way. Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, she changes into a strong, fixed women. You notice that she is happiest when she is on her on preaching her beliefs.
ReplyDeleteJanie usually follows society's expectations; she does what the community wants her to do. However, there are a few times where Janie decides that society's expectations should be thrown aside, and that she should follow her own desires and her own morals. She does make some mistakes throughout the book, such as selling her store to run off with Tea Cakes, but she is always correct in standing up for her own beliefs and desires, not those of the collective. Her three marriages represent this battle between individualism vs collectivism; she desires to follow her own path, while society insists on forcing her down a road she feels she doesn't belong in, such as being the subordinate wife of Jody Starks. She is happiest when she follows her own desires and values, not those of society; intact, during the times she is "behaving" in society's eyes, she is the most miserable, such as during her marriage to Logan Killicks and Jody, during which she followed the rules of the farmer's wife with Killicks and the mayor's wife with Jody. Hurston's ideas seem to be almost identical to those of America's great prophet and philosopher, Ayn Rand: the morals, desires, and happiness of the individual are superior to those of society's- and that is something I can completely agree with.
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