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The Curious Case of Janie Part 2

As a continuation of my last post, I want to continue to discuss more about Janie. Initially, I wasn't too fond of Janie. She is slightly arrogant and selfish. However, my whole perspective on Janie changed after the death of Tea Cake. I can't help it but feel pity for her. She finds someone who loves her for who she is. Tea Cake doesn't treat her as a trophy that is meant to be stored away like Stark did. He treats her as an actual human being.

All of this, however, was too good to be true. While trying to save Janie from the dog, Tea Cake is bitten by the dog and contracted rabies. Of course, he doesn't go to the doctors in time and eventually dies. It's hard to believe that Janie has to kill someone she truly loves to protect herself. It's almost as if the universe was working against her.

By the time Janie gets back to the present time, it's evident that Janie is done with it all. She has had 3 husbands. One where she was forced to marry. Another one where she was treated as a trophy wife. Then, Tea Cake, someone that truly loved her. Janie has experienced it all and by the end, she is content with her life.


Comments

  1. JoshuaNovember 10, 2019 at 7:48 PM

    Though it's sad that Janie can't be with Tea Cake anymore, she has found "peace" by the end of the novel. Tea Cake treated her as more of a person than her two previous husbands did, doing stuff like teaching her how to shoot a gun. By the end of the book, Janie has grown to become independent, and it doesn't seem like her life is ruined after the death of her husband.

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  2. DanbiNovember 11, 2019 at 2:34 PM

    Contrastingly, I actually loved Janie as a character in the beginning as I believed she represented feminine individuality, power, and confidence. I thought she was pretty inspiring as a character and while I didn't agree with all her choices, I actually really enjoyed her free nature. As the book went on, I found myself liking Janie less and less as she grew to be less confident and put down by her husbands. Naturally, I felt pretty bad for her as she didn't really ask to be put in this situation but I also couldn't help but feel super frustrated with her. On the other hand, I started to like Janie again as she grew more independent and free in her relationship with Teacake. While I think that the situation she was placed in and Teacake's death was super sad and frustrating, I don't think it necessarily warranted pity because of the peace and content she discovered through it. As you mentioned, at the end of the story and following Teacake's death, Janie finds her identity and satisfaction with her life. I think Teacake's death, while sad, was pretty necessary for Janie to find her independence and her identity as a woman.

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