In chapter 11 Janie has an experience where she very quickly develops her own ideas about love and marriage that don't appear to really be based anywhere in reality. In class, we had come to the conclusion that from that point on Janie had an unreasonably high expectation of what to expect out of marriage. But does she really? I think it is true that what she's looking for is a perfect man and a perfect relationship, which really is a stretch, but I think it's also true that the men in the book tend to be extremely sexist and really don't care about love nearly as much as she does.
Both relationships up until now (I have not read past chapter 9) have deteriorated drastically within a relatively short time of being married, even though one technically lasted until death did them part. We've been assuming that her expectations for these men are just too high and she's just not willing to allow herself to enjoy the good things in them. But what about the men themselves? From what I can tell, nearly every single man in the book so far has managed to objectify Janie in some way or another, which tells me that sexism may be a big part of this book's setting, something that we're not used to to nearly such an extent today.
Within a very short time, both Logan and Joe began to take Janie entirely for granted and told her how to think and what to do. Joe even had his own moment of unrealistically high standards, where he tells her before he dies that he was never satisfied with her and was constantly trying to change her. Both of them only ever complimented her beauty rather than her intelligence or really any other characteristic of her. I really don't think that Janie's standards and values were too off base at all, especially considering theirs, but it certainly seems to be the case for the setting of the book.
I agree completely with you that she is right to have any standards and expectations she wants. Though, given the time period, her standards are I would venture to say a little far-fetched, but there shouldn't be any reason for her to settle for anything less. Especially now that she has acquired a fair bit of wealth from her second marriage. The thing I would fault her for though, is how she ended her relationship with Logan. It is clearly stated that she had been thinking about leaving for then several months and yet makes no effort to improve things. Then she just walks away, without telling him, I mean if she wants to leave thats fine but please have the decency to tell him your'e leaving.
ReplyDeleteI think a big part of Janie's dissatisfaction as "Mrs. Jody Starks" has to do with her disappointment after expecting him to represent "far horizon"--change, adventure, something exciting and new (which isn't asking much, with Logan Killicks as her point of departure!). But once they get to Eatonville, it's as if she's been tricked---there is no more "horizon," and her role is to work in the store and look pretty as "the mayor's wife." It's not that her expectations are all that high--she wants to be on the porch talking and joking with everyone else, to be a part of the community and not apart from it. But her alignment with Joe, who is "above" so many in the community, seals her off. She placed into an "elite" position without feeling herself to be elite.
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