Social Expectations In Their Eyes Were Watching God And The Awakening

Joe was dominant among others and controlling towards Janie. Everyone had high expectations for Joe and Janie, and Joe knew Janie did not have the knowledge or intelligence he had, so Joe looked down upon Janie. Janie had no background, the only placed Janie seemed to have belonged was under control by a man, and that man happened to be Joe. “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat.

Janie at the age of 17, decides to end her unhappy marriage with Logan Killicks and get married to Joe Starks. Joe had a strong personality. Joe did not just talks the talk, but actually made it happen. This was what attracted Janie to Joe in the first place. Joe saw his marriage with Janie, as something he gotten with his package of success.

Her marriage with Joe was better than first, she even thought this was the" horizon" she looked for however, she was placed in a trophy case for display. Joe was as controlling as he was jealous. He prohibited her from showing her hair, as well as taking part in common things. Janie was basically isolated from the town. Everything between them went sour quickly after Janie stripped Joe of his manhood in front of people.

He sees her as nothing but a possession and expects her to work hard on his farm. Janie is unhappy in this marriage, and it signals the beginning of her journey towards independence as she realizes

Eventually, Janie decided to leave Logan for another man she met names Joe Starks, and her quest for love continued with her new marriage. Janie was instantly attracted to Joe’s innate power because he gave her hope that she could reach the “horizon” (page 36). Joe took over as mayor of Eatonville and his influence increased dramatically with his improved confidence. He made decisions for Janie, just as her grandmother had, and forbid her from living like every other townsperson. For example, Janie was not allowed to associate with any customers in the store she helped Joe run, she could not wear her hair down in the store, and she had to dress a particular way because of Joe’s raging jealousy.

Joe was charismatic towards Janie, and they end up moving in together. Jody became mayor, and Janie was asked to give a speech at the committee meeting. Jody started speaking before she could even begin. He said, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat.

Janie's second husband, Joe Starks, represents her loss of dreams in regard to personal freedom and individuality. Joe is ambitious and determined to achieve success and power, but he does not value Janie as an individual. He sees her as a trophy wife and expects her to conform to his expectations and ideals. Joe restricts Janie's personal freedom and does not allow her to express herself or pursue her own dreams. Janie's experience with Joe is transient, as she realizes that his idea of success and power does not align with her own desires and beliefs.

Although Janie found herself in the position of logans wife she did not feel love for him and that means that he was not the right person to fill the role of her husband. Janie has now realized how little the title of husband really means and she now understands that marriage doesn't always mean love if it isn't with the right person. So when Joe Starks came to Janie she left Logan in search of the right person to fill the role of her husband. She initially thought that Joe was right for the role but eventually realized that she never really loved Joe. Janie says that “Gradually, she pressed her teeth together and learned to hush.

Being a woman did not allow her dreams to be on the horizon which made her lay them on Joe. This chapter makes Janie realize what she wants in life and it is not what her grandma wants. She wants love and freedom. Joe gave her more than what her grandma wanted for her although Janie did not achieve the life she wanted while being married to Joe. Janie may have placed her goals in life onto Joe although he did not give her what she wanted deep down which made her resent him, show her selfish qualities,

(46). Joe believes that he is doing Janie a favor by providing her with the life he thinks she wants, and this causes her to feel isolated. Although she is still unsure of herself, she knows that her vague idea of the life she expects does not align with Joe’s vision. Despite their conflicting viewpoints, she chooses to suffer in silence because of her fear and reliance on Joe for financial security. Janie allows him to create an uneven power dynamic in which she becomes simply a part of Joe’s image for the public eye.

Joe seen Janie as a trophy wife or someone he could show people off to, but Janie was taken by his charms and believed that he would be the one to give her the love she was looking for. She soon realized that it was nothing like that, “And one night he had caught Walter standing behind Janie and brushing the back of his hand back and forth across the loose end of her braid ever so lightly so as to enjoy the feel of it without Janie knowing what he was doing. Joe was at the back of the store and Walter didn’t see him. He felt like rushing forth with the meat knife and chopping off the offending hand. That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Chapter 5).

Although she hopes this, she didn’t attain this with her first husband, Logan Killicks, nor did she attain this with her second husband, Jody Starks. Janie displays her thoughts, “She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (25). Janie’s only desire was to be loved, but she did get that with Logan. Janie lost her dream to be loved and becomes an adult at an early age.

A point where she wanted to leave Logan. Joe Stark saved Janie from this unmatched love. This has been displayed as a man who was needed for Janie to be saved. For women to be saved, they need a man by their side. In the town setting, a conversation was held between a group of men including Joe Stark and Janie.

Naw, naw!" (60) Joe sees Janie as a thing that he has to keep from being stained by lower class individuals. He doesn't want her "goin' off in dat mess uh commonness," (60) because "de mayor's wife is somethin' diffferent." (60) She is different from other women in the town, since she is not seen as human but as a possession of Joe's that he may show off and control as he

After leaving Logan and marrying Joe, she was very happy and seemed to be in love but soon after becomes a “trophy wife” and was just going through the motions of marriage. “No matter what Jody did, she said nothing. She had learned how to talk some and leave some… She got nothing from Jody except what money could buy, and she was giving away what she didn’t value”(Huston, 76). At this point Janie had fully accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to have love in her marriage, and didn’t really care. At this point Janie’s character starts to develope into a more independent woman who cared less about what he husband wanted and more about what she wanted.