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Hurston And Janie's Relationship

Decent Essays
Janie was pulled into her second marriage by Joe Stark’s enticing promises and the opportunity for change. Not only did his looks and age provide fulfillment but also the promise of being treated as the proper woman she was. The day they met, Joe told her, “‘you ain’t never knowed what it was to be treated lak a lady and Ah wants to be de one tuh show yuh.’” (Hurston 35). This implies that her current situation is one that she can get out of by coming with him. he had previously expressed that someone as beautiful as Janie deserved better than being with Logan Killicks. At that, Joe wasn’t old; he “never specks to get too old to enjoy syrup sweeten’ water when it’s cools and nice.” ( Hurston 34). He had promised to treat her a proper woman…show more content…
For Joe, she was an object to look at. However, there was one particular part of Janie that Joe did not want to share. “That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store. That was all. She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others.”(Hurston 65). Joe was a very jealous man. He feels the need to guard her from others as if she was a prized possession or object of some sort. He felt that allowing her hair to show was a challenge to his authority. Jody dumps his burdens on Janie then mistreats her for not fitting his image of a proper woman. On numerous occasions he shows how he is selfish and abusive. Similar to Logan, Joe abuses Janie for making simple mistakes. “So when the bread didn’t rise, and the fish wasn’t quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears and told her about her brains before he stalked on back to the store.” (Hurston 85-86) Logan did not physically abuse Janie like Joe did and his authority was so overwhelming she would keep quiet. No matter how controlling, abusive, and shallow he was, Janie said nothing. After this incident, Janie looses faith in her illusion of love for
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