Starting in chapter 15 we are introduced to a seemingly unlikeable and nasty character, Mrs. Taylor. Mrs. Taylor, a mixed woman, has characteristics of both a black woman, and a white woman. She is also an exceedingly proud woman and holds the steadfast view that black people are inferior to white people, and as a result of her partial "whiteness" she too is superior to fully black people. For this reason she is very friendly towards Janie, who even more than Mrs. Taylor has certain resemblances to a white person. Mrs. Taylor does not create a likable character for herself. Certainly Tea Cake harbors an intense dislike for her, saying to Janie, "Ah hates dat woman lak poison. Keep her from round dis house. her look like a white woman" (143).
As I kept reading through her various remarks to Janie I certainly started to dislike her more and more until I came across the passage on 144-145 that explained why Mrs. Taylor continued to seek Janie's friendship even after Janie scorns her; "She felt honored by Janie's acquaintance and she quickly forgave and forgot snubs in order to keep it. Anyone who looked more white folkish than herself was better than she was in her criteria, therefore it was right that they should be cruel to her at times, just as she was cruel to those who were more negroid than herself" (144). the passage then goes on to describe Mrs. Taylor's infatuation with white skin as being akin to that of religious fervor; "Mrs. Turner like all other believers had built an alter to the unattainable--Caucasian characteristics for all" (145). At this point I was honestly starting to feel sorry for Mrs. Taylor. Living a life where no one really accepts you, and you always seek the impossible seems like an unpleasant existence indeed.
It then occurred to me reading this passage that perhaps Hurston meant for her readers to feel a certain sense of pity for Mrs. Taylor. Perhaps what Hurston really wants to show in this character is the ridiculousness of white supremacy, and what it's influence can make people into. By showing Mrs. Taylor as such a deluded and miserable person it says to me that this is her social commentary on white suppression of blacks, a topic somewhat scarce in this book. This, at least, is how I will choose to interpret the existence of Mrs. Taylor.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Maturing
Throughout my reading of Their Eyes Were Watching God I've been wondering to myself what lesson or message will I glean from this book. Perhaps by the end of the book I will have realized more than one thing about the book, but right now the thing that strikes me is how Janie matures throughout the book. Similar to Invisible Man, the story starts with Janie, at the end of her story, recalling how she came to be in the position she is in now. As a coming of age novel, I think the matter of how the main character develops throughout the book is a central topic.
To start her story off Janie tells us of her experience under the peach tree. She is just starting to go through puberty, and is fantasizing of all things love. This is when she happens across Johnny Taylor who manages to coax her into sharing some kisses with him. Her grandmother, seeing this, marries her off to Logan Killicks in order to provide a good home for her. As any sixteen year-old in her position would be, she is miserable. While perhaps Killicks would provide a good home for a woman, he also expects his wife to work hard. At sixteen years of age no one dreams of a marriage that involves mutual hard-work. Janie is simply not mature enough at this point to be happy in a relationship that defies her expectations of what love and marriage should be. As a result she leaves him for her new love interest, Joe Stark.
For Janie Joe represents at first what she embodies as a picturesque marriage. Joe tells her of how he'll worship her, and put her on a pedestal above all other women. Janie sees this as wonderful and goes along with Joe to Eatonsville. In Eatonsville Joe immediately sets out to take charge of things. He sets himself as mayor, and establishes land, and various institutions in Eatonsville. He pampers Janie, and buys the finest piece of land in the area for them to live on. Janie loves it. Things do start to go downhill, however. Joe truly believes that Janie needs to be put on a pedestal above everyone else. What this means, though, is that Joe does not believe in Janie taking part in conversation or other activities with the common folk, specifically the men. Janie longs to take part in the acts that take place on the porch of the store, but Joe will have none of it. He controls and limits Janie, and this makes Janie very depressed at times, and their marriage is often not very happy. She stays with him, however, which shows that she has matured enough to realize the life that Joe provides for her. None the less she is often unhappy with her life. Joe passes away, though, and eventually Janie starts to move on.
About nine months after Joe's death, Janie meets a charming young man by the name of Tea Cake. Aware of the sizable amount of money left to her by Joe, she is at first very cautious of him. Tea Cake, despite this is very friendly and forward and encourages her to be happy and do things that make her happy in spite of what others may think of her. He takes her out to do stuff with him where they can both be seen together. Such things are seen as very scandalous, but for Janie the amount of freedom and happiness makes her very happy, and regardless of Tea Cakes lack of money she agrees to marry him.
Through janie's maturing throughout the story I think that Zora Neale Hurston gives a message of what she thinks true love should be about. Janie couldn't be happy with either Logan Killicks, or Joe Stark, because neither of them could provide her with the sense of freedom and love that she sought in marriage. So far only Tea Cakes who is so open and free with her has truly given her what she desires from a lover.
To start her story off Janie tells us of her experience under the peach tree. She is just starting to go through puberty, and is fantasizing of all things love. This is when she happens across Johnny Taylor who manages to coax her into sharing some kisses with him. Her grandmother, seeing this, marries her off to Logan Killicks in order to provide a good home for her. As any sixteen year-old in her position would be, she is miserable. While perhaps Killicks would provide a good home for a woman, he also expects his wife to work hard. At sixteen years of age no one dreams of a marriage that involves mutual hard-work. Janie is simply not mature enough at this point to be happy in a relationship that defies her expectations of what love and marriage should be. As a result she leaves him for her new love interest, Joe Stark.
For Janie Joe represents at first what she embodies as a picturesque marriage. Joe tells her of how he'll worship her, and put her on a pedestal above all other women. Janie sees this as wonderful and goes along with Joe to Eatonsville. In Eatonsville Joe immediately sets out to take charge of things. He sets himself as mayor, and establishes land, and various institutions in Eatonsville. He pampers Janie, and buys the finest piece of land in the area for them to live on. Janie loves it. Things do start to go downhill, however. Joe truly believes that Janie needs to be put on a pedestal above everyone else. What this means, though, is that Joe does not believe in Janie taking part in conversation or other activities with the common folk, specifically the men. Janie longs to take part in the acts that take place on the porch of the store, but Joe will have none of it. He controls and limits Janie, and this makes Janie very depressed at times, and their marriage is often not very happy. She stays with him, however, which shows that she has matured enough to realize the life that Joe provides for her. None the less she is often unhappy with her life. Joe passes away, though, and eventually Janie starts to move on.
About nine months after Joe's death, Janie meets a charming young man by the name of Tea Cake. Aware of the sizable amount of money left to her by Joe, she is at first very cautious of him. Tea Cake, despite this is very friendly and forward and encourages her to be happy and do things that make her happy in spite of what others may think of her. He takes her out to do stuff with him where they can both be seen together. Such things are seen as very scandalous, but for Janie the amount of freedom and happiness makes her very happy, and regardless of Tea Cakes lack of money she agrees to marry him.
Through janie's maturing throughout the story I think that Zora Neale Hurston gives a message of what she thinks true love should be about. Janie couldn't be happy with either Logan Killicks, or Joe Stark, because neither of them could provide her with the sense of freedom and love that she sought in marriage. So far only Tea Cakes who is so open and free with her has truly given her what she desires from a lover.
In Defence of Janie
As our class started to read and eventually discuss Their Eyes were watching God we started off discussing the various events that take part regarding Janie's Grandma forcing her to marry off. Specifically we talked in particular on whether we thought Jamie was in the right in doing what she did by leaving her husband or whether it was a foolish thing for her to do. I think that their are definitely arguments to be made in both directions, both arguing for and against Janie, but I tended to find myself feeling very sympathetic towards Janie, actually.
For starters I think it's important to remember that when Janie's grandmother decides to marry her off she's till in her teen years. She is only just starting to enter puberty and coming to have a desire for love. As shown by the scene by the pear tree she sees love as something beautiful and natural;"She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing in delight. So this was marriage!"(11). Just like any other human at that age does, she's experiencing the development in a desire for love.
Regardless of this she is still married off to Logan Killicks. Her grandmother clearly thought she had Janie's best interests in mind in doing so, but still it's understandable that the prospect of being married off to a strange unknown man would frighten and repulse Janie. Indeed in marriage to Logan Killicks she certainly doesn't fulfill her ideal marriage plan. Janie believes that although she may not love Logan immediately that love will come. Upon entering his house she thinks, "The house was absent of flavor, too. But anyhow she went inside to wait for love to begin"(22). Her hopes, however, are dashed. Janie did not enter her marriage with Killicks expecting to be working hard. Logan Killicks, however, definitely expects that she work around the farm just like him. He tells her, "Come help me move this manure pile befo' de sun de sun gits hot. You don't take a bit of interest in dis place. Tain't no use in foolin' round the kitchen all day long" (30). An argument ensues in which Janie tells Mr. Killicks that she is not grateful to him and he has done her no favor. Killicks insults her, her mother, and her grandmother as a result, and this pushes Janie over the edge. She leaves him without another word.
Now while I think Logan Killicks is not a dislikable character, or necessarily even a bad husband, I don't think that it's unreasonable for Janie to have been dissatisfied with him. She is married off at an early age, against her will, to a man who expects a much more mature and obedient wife. In her position I would certainly have felt a strong desire to flee.
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