Literary Analysis Of Janie

Do you believe the concept of true love, companionship, or just someone just right for you? The 2012 film “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, which was directed by Benh Zeitlin, and the 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, which was written by Zora Neale Hurston, have several similarities. Similarities such as protagonist traits, relationships, influences of the past, and the problem of storms make both of the stories much so. Janie from “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is an African-American woman who wants to find someone who she can love, and Hushpuppy from “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is also an African-American girl who wishes to get stronger in order to live with her dad in “The Bathtub”.

At the end of chapter 6, Janie rebukes the men and her response not only highlights the gender inequality problem in the novel, but it also shows a major character development in Janie. Not only of what Janie says is startling, but the fact that she said something made me see Janie in a different perspective. Janie?s opening line, ?Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business?, caught my attention because her response is against societal norms. Women are not classified as actual individuals, and they are expected to be obedient and quiet. In this quote, Janie asserts that women are individuals, and even God speaks to women as well. Janie bringing up God strengthens her argument

One of the universal themes of literature is the idea that children suffer because of the mistakes of an earlier generation. The novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" follows the story of Janie Mae Crawford through her childhood, her turbulent and passionate relationships, and her rejection of the status quo and through correlation of Nanny 's life and Janie 's problems, Hurston develops the theme of children 's tribulations stemming from the teachings and thoughts of an earlier generation. Nanny made a fatal mistake in forcibly pushing her own conclusions about life, based primarily on her own experiences, onto her granddaughter Janie and the cost of the mistake was negatively affecting her relationship with Janie.

Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, forces Janie to marry a man she is not in love with out of convenience. Nanny does not want Janie to suffer the necessities of life, but Janie cares little about materials and seeks love. Nanny’s ideology haunts Janie for much of her life, influencing decisions she takes later in marriage. Huston says, “The memory of Nanny was still powerful and strong,” which shows how Janie conforms to the ideology her grandmother instilled in her. And although Janie conforms, she continues to question inwardly about love. Nanny did not believe in love, so Janie had little guidance in how one can find love. Janie does not realize until the end, that one must “go there tuh know there”(192).

People come into our lives for different reasons. Some leave a positive impact, while others bring negativity. Readers and critics alike have treasured Zora Neale Hurston’s 20th century novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, for generations particularly for its complex portrayal of the different main characters. The people a person meet and the experiences that person many go through in their lifetime can alter a person significantly. Through the tyrannical words of Joe Starks and the inconsiderate actions of Nanny, Janie in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is negatively influenced as her actions and thoughts alter her life. The author Zora Neale Hurston conveys the message that people closest to a person’s heart can often hide their true

In The Eyes are Watching God, the author Zora Neale Hurston expresses the struggles of women and black societies of the time period. When Hurston published the book, communities were segregated and black communities were full of stereotypes from the outside world. Janie, who represents the main protagonist and hero, explores these communities on her journey in the novel. Janie shows the ideals of feminism, love, and heroism in her rough life in The Eyes. Janie, as the hero of the novel, shows the heroic qualities of determination, empathy, and bravery.

Nanny wants to protect Janie from the budding sexuality that has occurred with a man named Johnny Taylor. Therefore, Janie’s relationship with Logan is one characterized by protection and security. Logan is a successful landowner, and he is also much older than Janie. Additionally, he offers her financial security and economic stability due to his great successes. Unfortunately, their marriage is absent of true feelings as Janie does not genuinely love Logan. Nanny merely wanted Janie to be in a safe relationship, and therefore, she arranged the marriage with him. Protective love is exhibited by Nanny as she is a caring grandmother and wants Janie to be financially stable and safe. However, the relationship with Logan does not satisfy Janie’s desire for true, unconditional love. A great deal of independence is portrayed by Janie when she decides to leave her marriage with Logan in favor of Joe Starks. Janie begins to make her own decisions and this character trait is established throughout the

Nanny’s portion of the novel shines a light on how Janie really views the world compared to her grandmothers. Ultimately Nanny wants Janie to be happy and well taken care of by any means necessary, regardless of how Janie feels. Nanny grew up while being in slavery and lived a hard, loveless life. She ended up getting pregnant with a white man, which to some degree helped her life and the life of her daughter better than it was before. Nanny believes that having the “ultimate life” is based off of status and what the man can bring to the table and provide for her, not solely from mutual

Nanny wants her to have a man with money, but as Janie undergoes her marriage with Logan she finds out that the bond is more important than the money. Janie didn 't love Logan and didn 't like how he treated her. This relates to the motif of the pear tree because all Janie wants is love from a man, like how “the tree receives from the pollen-bearing bee”( Dilbeck 102).The tree represents her life and how she is looking for that special man which the bee represents. Janie’s marriage with Logan made her realize that she should not be treated like property and that she deserves better. After the marriage with Logan failed, Janie thought that Joe was the one. He turned out to be very controlling and possessive of her. He did not allow her to do anything and thought that “a pretty doll-baby lak [her] is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan [herself] and eat p’taters dat other folks plant just special for [her]”(Hurston 29). Janie realized that she should be able to have some type of freedom in her marriage, and not feel

Nanny was a big influence in trying to help Janie set herself up for a good life that Nanny never had. Yet Nanny really set Janie up for trouble even though that was not her goal at all. When Janie married Nanny's choice, Logan Kellicks for his money, it only leads Janie to a life that she didn't want. Feeling no affection from Logan she feels misplaced and is not happy with her marriage. Janie is in search for a better life and that's what she does all the way through Their Eyes Were Watching God. In Hope of finding a better man she marries Jody Starks. Only to find herself back in the same miserable state to an even worse extent. Jody is controlling over Janie forcing Janie to put head rags on saying “Her hair is not going to show in the store” (76). He continues to belittle Janie just like Torvalds belittled Nora on being unintelligent and not having a sense of how to handle money. () When Jody attacked Janie at the store in front of everyone it really

The search for love is what inspires Janie’s epic journey through life. As a young girl Janie is already searching for her true love, but unfortunately her dreams are crushed by Nanny. Nanny tells Janie that she must marry now, despite not being in love. Her first marriage to an older man by the name of Logan Hillicks is where Janie first questions her role in society; Janie questions whether she belongs in the house or should be doing manual labor in the hot Florida sun. Janie soon grows unhappy in her first marriage and runs away with a man with big dreams, Jody Starks. In her second marriage Janie again questions her role in society. Is she really upper class? Should she really be running a store? Is it right for Jody to treat her in this

Nanny, Janie's grandmother, wants to protect Janie from all the social injustices she has gone through and decides that the only way to keep Janie safe in life is for Janie to avoid love and acquire money through a man. Nanny does not want Janie to feel a sexual desire because she believes that it will make Janie vulnerable to other men. Janie marries Logan Killicks, the man Nanny married her of to. “The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, but Janie didn't know how to tell Nanny that” (Hurston 14). This pushed Janie closer and closer to leave Logan. Through Logan, Janie finds her answer to the her question “Did marriage compel love like the sun of day?” (Hurston 21), no. The natural relationship she experienced with the pear tree did not compare to that of a sacred relationship in real life with a man. Even though Janie is not abused by Logan, his money does not compensate for the labor he has her do. “Got uh mule all gentled up so even uh women kin handle’im.” (Hurston 27), Logan is implying the much harsh labor Janie has to carry with along with Logan's fat and aged body. This lifestyle no longer attractive to Janie and she slowly grows apart from

Zora Neale Hurston was an African American writer during the Harlem Renaissance who wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God. She was a very ambitious woman and did many things in her lifetime. In one article an author wrote, “Hurston realized many of her dreams during her lifetime and wrote prolifically, publishing short stories, essays, plays, historical narratives, ethnographies, an autobiography, and several novels” (“Zora”). Not only was she an author she was also an anthropologist. However Hurston’s life wasn’t all perfect at times. At a young age she lost her mother which ended her childhood abruptly, much like the main character Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God. After her mother’s death she also began working odd jobs and traveling,

The book, As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, tells about the Bundren family's journey

“Love is All Around You” is a poem that parallels the novel The Secret Life of Bees in many different ways. Love is portrayed as a simple entity that is achieved on many different levels. The motif of love is presented in both pieces of literature allowing for a comparison to be drawn between the literary works.