What is Janie's quest in their eyes were watching God?
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character, Janie Crawford, is on a quest to find true love. Like many people, she begins her journey not knowing what love is. Janie encounters many obstacles in her quest for love.
What does the narrator say about Janie's first dream?
As she stands there, the narrator says, "She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman." The author is using Janie as an example to show that even if Americans think they know how their life will turn out and have one life dream, their plan and path can always change.
What is the theme of their eyes were watching God?
The horizon, the pear tree, the protagonist's hair, and the hurricane in Their Eyes Were Watching God are all ordinary things that exist in the natural world, but the author uses these images to convey desires and obstacles in Janie's journey. Does Janie get rabies? Janie does not get rabies, there is no evidence of that in the story.
What is the American Dream in their eyes were watching God?
American Dream in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" In the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God,"by Zora Neale Hurston, the ideal of the American Dream is present in the way that Janie's life develops throughout the book. Her friend and guardian, Nanny, longs for her to be married.
What are Janie's hopes and dreams?
The protagonist's hopes for her future drive basically the entirety of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie has an image of true love, and she strives to attain it. A person's dreams for his or her future are often presented as romantic and idealistic, symbolic of one's naïve childhood.
What is Janie's first dream?
Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman. When Janie was younger, her Nanny implied that with marriage, love would follow automatically. With this belief in mind, Janie agrees to marry Logan Killicks, a man she does not love.
What is Janie's goals in Their Eyes Were Watching God?
Janie wanted to live in a fairytale and marry somebody who she can stay with forever, but that didn't happen. The reason why Janie had different goals and visions is because she didn't want to be like everybody else and just put up with what people tell them what to do and live an unhappy life.
What does Janie dream about under the pear tree?
Ah…” (24), according to Nanny, it is not happiness or love that will keep her safe, as Janie envisions under her pear tree, but a man, any man that will see to her physical security.
Does Janie achieve her dream?
Throughout the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, we follow the life of Janie Crawford, and her constant struggle to chase her dreams of freedom and true love. These two elements progresses her achievement of the American Dream.
How does Janie fit into Joe's dream?
I think Janie was so attracted to Joe because he offered her a relationship, a marriage where she would be loved. He had promise her that he would treat her how a wife "should" be treated. He offered her a chance to have her dream come true, although that dream was dead.
What is Janie's ultimate goal?
Even with all these different goals in her quest the most concrete is her goal to find love and independence. “...She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace...” (Hurston 11).
Was Janie's mother raped?
Raped by her white slave master, Nanny conceived Janie's mother, Leafy. When Leafy is a teenager, she is raped by her white schoolteacher, and gives birth to Janie. Leafy eventually abandons Janie.
Is Janie black?
Janie Mae Crawford The protagonist of the novel. Janie defies categorization: she is black but flaunts her Caucasian-like straight hair, which comes from her mixed ancestry; she is a woman but defies gender stereotypes by insisting on her independence and wearing overalls.
What does the pear tree symbolize?
In many cultures spanning thousands of years, we can find references to the fruit of the Pear tree as a symbol of divine sustenance, abundance and longevity. The shape of the pear has represented the female form in the art world for centuries, creating a strong symbol of fruitfulness and femininity.
What does the dream is the truth mean?
Women, on the other hand, don't think of dreams as far-away vessels they will never set foot on. For women, “the dream is the truth”—Hurston seems to be stating that their hopes and desires are woven into their immediate realities.
Why did Janie kiss Johnny?
Johnny Taylor is the first boy that Janie kisses being a teenager. Probably she feels something lovely to him, and that makes her think that feelings are a very nice thing, and the aim of marriage should be in this – in feelings. By the way, when Nanny sees the kiss, she tells Janie that she 'is now a woman.
Why did Janie kiss Johnny?
Johnny Taylor is the first boy that Janie kisses being a teenager. Probably she feels something lovely to him, and that makes her think that feelings are a very nice thing, and the aim of marriage should be in this – in feelings. By the way, when Nanny sees the kiss, she tells Janie that she 'is now a woman.
What is Joe Starks dream?
What is Joe Stark's dream? What does he see Janie as in his "dream"? He sees Janie as mayor's wife. He wants to be a big voice in the new all black town.
What does the pear tree symbolize in this story?
Throughout the novel, the pear tree symbolizes for Janie the feeling she experienced directly while sitting beneath it – the sense of possibility in life for a connection between the self and the natural world, and the feelings of sexual desire and love.
What does Janie's hair symbolize?
Janie's hair is a symbol of her power and unconventional identity; it represents her strength and individuality in three ways. First, it represents her independence and defiance of petty community standards.
What did Janie dream about?
Janie’s dream began at age sixteen. Under the pear tree, in her Nanny’s back yard, she dreamt of life. She dreamt of love.
What did Janie say to Tea Cake?
In the midst of danger, Janie knew she had realized her dream. She said to Tea Cake, “We been tuhgether round two years. If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don’t keer if you die a t dusk. It’s so many people never seen de light at all.
How did Tea Cake save Janie?
As they tried to escape the hurricane, they encountered a rabid dog and Tea Cake saved Janie’s life by fighting it. Unfortunately, he got bitten. His end was a tragedy. He lost his mind and tried to kill Janie. Janie killed him instead. One can only speculate how heartbroken she must have been.
How did Joe Starks treat Janie?
For a man who thinks himself so big, Joe Starks treated people so small. Janie had to bear the brunt of it. He belittled and berated her in private and in public. He insulted her intellect. He made her feel small with all the disparagement. As articulate as she was, she learned to keep quiet. She fell into a rut.
What did the woman feel when she saw him die?
When he died, she felt only pity and at the same time, hope for herself. She looked into the mirror and in a single swoop, let her long and plentiful hair down. She was ready to live again.
Did Janie run off with Joe Starks?
He realized too soon enough that his efforts were for naught, and thus he tried to transform her instead into a wife who will toil alongside him. Janie would have nothing of it. So, she ran off with Joe Starks and his dreams of riches and splendor. Joe had his dream. Janie did not.
Did Janie and the seasonal workers share their lives?
The seasonal workers flocked to their cabin. They did everything together. They shared their lives and their love. Both had episodes of jealousy but which only showed that they cared for each other. Janie had never felt so alive. She was able to experience things she had not done before and would never have experienced had it not been for Tea Cake. He enjoyed being with her. He enjoyed seeing Janie enjoy herself.
What is the story of their eyes were watching God?
Their Eyes Were Watching God. Although Their Eyes Were Watching God revolves around Janie’s relationships with other people , it is first and foremost a story of Janie’s search for spiritual enlightenment and a strong sense of her own identity. When we first and last see Janie, she is alone. The novel is not the story of her quest for a partner ...
What does Jody convince Janie to do?
With his ambitious talk, Jody convinces Janie that he will use his thirst for conquest to help her realize her dreams, whatever they may be. Janie learns that Jody’s exertion of power only stifles her. But just before Jody’s death, Janie’s repressed power breaks through in a torrent of verbal retaliation. Her somewhat cruel tirade at the dying Jody measures the depth of Jody’s suppression of her inner life. Having begun to find her voice, Janie blows through social niceties to express herself.
What does Janie learn from the pear tree?
Under the pear tree, she witnesses a perfect union of harmony within nature. She knows that she wants to achieve this type of love, a reciprocity that produces oneness with the world, but is unsure how to proceed. At this point, she is unable to articulate even to herself exactly what she wants.
What does Janie learn about Jody?
Janie learns that Jody’s exertion of power only stifles her. But just before Jody’s death, Janie’s repressed power breaks through in a torrent of verbal retaliation. Her somewhat cruel tirade at the dying Jody measures the depth of Jody’s suppression of her inner life.
What is the meaning of the dream of Janie?
To have a dream for happiness and success , and the hope of achieving it is what keeps the dream going for many Americans. Janie earns her freedom and happiness by the end of the novel. Her plight in life was one filled with struggles but she learned from the pain and learned about herself too.
What does Janie want in the book?
Janie just wants to be an equal and a free woman that has her our thoughts and dreams. As the novel unfolds Janier’s life experiences embodies who she becomes as she has a self-realization. She discovers things about herself she did not know before which shapes her into the woman she was truly meant to be.
Why did Janie gain power?
She gained a sense of power, due to being alienated from those communities and it allowed her to grow. If she would have been an active member in either community, she would not have been able to grow and change into the person she was meant to be. It is assumed this novel takes place around the late 1920r’s, due to the historical references in the book. This was a time when blacks and whites were still segregated but everyone still had dreams for their lives, despite color. The love that Janie saught after was jaded by the way Janie was treated by the men in her life. She yearned for respect and equality, while her nanny thought what was best for her was to get married to have financial stability. She at first aimed to please everyone, especially her nanny, but realized that it ultimately did not make her happy.
What is the theme of the American Dream?
American Dream Theme in their Eyes were Watching God. In Hurstonr’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, the main character, did not fit into the three communities of North Florida, Eatonville or the Muck. She always seemed to be an outsider in those communities.
What was the American dream of the American woman?
Her American dream was about finding herself and with that came along gaining personal freedom and finding true love. The freedom she found was not in a relationship but in lonesomenss and becoming a widow.
What does the quote "Now women forget all those things they dont want to remember and remember everything they don't want?
This part of the quote, Now, women forget all those things they dont want to remember and remember everything they dont want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly; represents Janier’s American Dream by the fact that women can mold themselves from their past into what they want to be.
Why does Joe wear a rag over Janie's head?
This is where Joe’s true nature of his character showed. During her hours of working, Joe made Janie wear a rag over her head because of his jealousy toward her hair, yet he never told her the reason why. There were times Janie had to think “about the inside state of her marriage. ” (Ch6. P. 71) “The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit, but never went back inside the bedroom again. “ (Ch. P. 71) Janie’s marriage in her eyes has completely vanish, “the bed was no longer a daisy-field for her and Joe to play in.
Why did Janie leave Logan?
Logan feared for the worst , so he tried to brush the idea out of his mind by telling her he was getting sleepy. But Janie was persistent in telling Logan the truth about her feelings in leaving him for a better man who supposedly would treat her right. The next morning Janie was preparing breakfast when Logan called her to help move the manure pile before it got hot. Obviously Janie turned down the offer, because she felt that her place belonged in the kitchen and his was outside working. After their bickering, Janie finished cooking breakfast and decided to leave Logan for good.
Why does Nanny love Janie?
Without a doubt, Nanny loves Janie, but it is a love based on duty and responsibility. It may be a transference of the dreams that she never achieved for herself. In any case, the two women need each other, because they have no other family. All Nanny asks for in return is that Janie grow up to be a decent girl.
Why is Janie's grandmother called Nanny?
Janie's grandmother has no name. She is simply "Nanny" to Janie because that is what the white children that she takes care of call her. Born into slavery, Nanny tells Janie her life story when the girl is sixteen. Her experiences make her sadly aware of what can happen to an attractive woman. Her daughter, Leafy, was the product of the attentions of a white master. Nanny fled the plantation to escape a brutal beating promised by her mistress. Soon afterward, she experienced the excitement of emancipation, and she found a place in Florida where she could live, work, and raise her daughter. This child, she hoped, would become a schoolteacher. Her hopes were dashed when Leafy was raped, ironically by the town schoolteacher, who abandoned both mother and child.
What does Nanny ask Janie to do in return?
All Nanny asks for in return is that Janie grow up to be a decent girl. When Janie comes to her with questions about the kind of love that should exist between husband and wife, Nanny can provide no answers. That sort of love has never been a part of her own life.
What is the Nanny's life like?
Nanny's life revolves around her love for Janie and her loyalty to her employer, Mrs. Washburn. Within the limits of this small world, Nanny is an ambitious woman. With the help of Mrs. Washburn, she buys land and a little house, an unusual undertaking for a lone woman. She has aspirations for Janie, who has never had to work in a white woman's ...
What is the American Dream in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"?
In the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God,"by Zora Neale Hurston, the ideal of the American Dream is present in the way that Janie's life develops throughout the book. Her friend and guardian, Nanny, longs for her to be married. After months of searching for a candidate for marriage, she finds Logan Killicks, and Janie and Logan get married. Janie is feeling the pressure from society to be in love with Logan. The narrator says, "Yes, she would love Logan after they were married. She could see now way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. It was just so." This perspective on marriage portrays the idea that the standard marriage instantly transforms a person's life into perfection. However, Janie realizes that love takes work, and she is willing to strive for love while developing other aspects of her life that characterize the American Dream.
What was Janie's first dream?
Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman.". The author is using Janie as an example to show that even if Americans think they know how their life will turn out and have one life dream, their plan and path can always change.
What happens to Janie after Nannie dies?
Janie is on her way to realizing this American Dream when she gets married, but once Nannie dies, Janie begins to reconsider what her own dreams are. With her support gone, Janie turns to nature to ponder her duty in life and stands outside listening for sources of direction.
What does Nannie tell Janie about the American Dream?
Nannie is telling Janie how much she and other colored folks wish to have a husband, a house, and land. She says that they are willing to work, haul, and sweat to obtain this life, and for them, this is the American Dream.
Does Janie love Logan?
Janie is feeling the pressure from society to be in love with Logan. The narrator says , "Yes, she would love Logan after they were married. She could see now way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant.