Sunday, March 18, 2007
Their Eyes Were Watching God
I really enjoyed reading Hurston's work and how Janie would not settle for what anyone else, her grandmother, her friends or even herself as she travlered through life thought should make her happy. She really broke the mold as to the myth of what women should act like in marriage and also as a woman. They are not the delicate, soft spoken, meek creatures that men saw them as. Janie in harnessing some of that freedom found herself some happiness in Tea Cake after two marriges that were less than desirable that severely limited that limited that freedom that Janie somehow managed to maintain. It is hard to imagine being so constricted and limited for so long that one cannot even let their hair fall loose on their shoulders and keeping that freedom of spirit. It seems like such a simple thing, yet that pleasure is a freedom that {yet in the readings that we have done} so often dies. Janie fights for her freedom and refuses to be without hers for long. It is that fiestiness that makes you relate and root for janie as you read her story. Somewhere in Janie there is a piece of you that can be seen and that is what Hurston is saying. Janie is all of us.
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5 comments:
Jenilyn,
After reading your entry, I found myself kind of pondering this character of Janie that we root for as the heroine of the story. You made some really good points; that we all find a piece of ourselves in her and that her fight for freedom causes us to root for her. But as I continued to think through the story, I found myself struck with the kind of strangeness that we all are rooting for a woman who now and days, depending on what circles you’re in, would be thought of as typical or, on the other side of things, looked down upon. All Janie has done was leave her first husband to run off with another man, only to be discontented throughout her marriage, and run off yet again, this time with a younger man. Nothing sounds so noble about her story when it is put into the context of today.
Stephanie:
I can certainly see your point. What Janie did is not exactly admirable or noble. She breaks up a family. It would be considered crazy- to leave a "secure" marriage and set out on your own, but I cannot help but celebrate that type of freedom and that Janie is embracing her femininity and is not willing to settle for anything less than the best.
I think it is important that Janie really was looking for her best, ideal situation and I think it was extreamely brave of her to go after that ideal situation even though the cost was high.
I think you brought up a great point. After reading your post, I went back and thought about her character and it really brought it into the light. Everyone searches for love in their life but only few take risks to actually find that "true love". In times like today, when people get married and decide to end it, it's not as graceful as Hurston describes Janie's departure.
Janie reminds me of someone who is standing at a great precipice- will she climb it? will she jump off of it? Will she simply stay put? The choices that she makes are such a risk, and yet she is not afraid to take those risks. I cannot help but admire that quality in her spirit.
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