Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapter 3 Summary

Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks was the first stage in her growth as a woman. She hoped that her obligatory marriage with Logan would

Janie, like Esperanza of House on Mango Street, matures through her journey through the novel. However, unlike Esperanza, matured more mentally and emotionally than she did physically. Janie’s most important lessons that she learned was the ones involved with love. When she was on the brink of feeling sexual desires, she started kissing a young man at the end of her gate, but her Grandmother (who raised her) resented the idea of her granddaughter would marry a statusless man with no wealth. Consequently, she demanded that Janie would marry a wealthy farm/land owner named Logan Killucks. Janie was repulsed when confronted with this idea because Logan was an older man and was simply unattractive, but she eventually bought the myth that marriage would lead to love between the two of them. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, and she ended up resenting him even more once they were married due to his unhygienic nature, his desire of her working on his land with him, and lack of affection. Her experience taught the first lesson on her life journey and “She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (Hurston Ch. 3). In addition, her marriage to Mr. Killucks influenced her to run of with a charming man named

Janie’s quest begins with her grandmother forcing her to marry Logan Killicks; her compliance demonstrates her need to follow what others expect of her. Although she believes "[Logan] look like some ole skullhead in de graveyard", she marries him, simply because her grandmother tells her she will love him with time (13). She compares him to a “skullhead”, literally likening him, and subsequently their relationship, to death. Although she knows she wants to find love, and that she does not love Logan, she marries him to appease her grandmother. This shows how much Janie cares about what other people think of her, and what lengths she is willing to go to keep others pleases with her.

This makes Janie feel like he does not care about her and that she is wasting her time with him. His lack of communication with Janie symbolizes the despair and emptiness she feels in their marriage. He does not open up to her and so of course the marriage will not work out. Hurston ultimately portrays how unhappy Janie is when she leaves Logan so easily the day after she brought up the topic of her leaving: "Janie hurried out of the gate and turned south" (Hurston 32).

Her decision to leave Logan for Joe Starks shows her determination to achieve her dream of love; she does not want to give and take this dream for stability. Logan is extremely ignorant of Janie′s feelings. When she tries to talk with him about them he simply replies: "′Ah′m getting′ sleepy Janie. Let′s don′t talk no mo′.′" (Hurston,30) He does not realize that Janie is serious about leaving him and that she wants him to show his feelings for her. Instead, he tries to hurt her like she hurt him, by pretending not to be worried about her leaving him. Janie gets to know Joe during her marriage with Logan. Right from the beginning he treats her like a lady. This is one reason why Janie is so attracted to him.

     The plan for Janie’s future begins with her lack of having real parents. Hurston builds up a foundation for Janie that is bound to fall like a Roman Empire. Janie’s grandmother, whom she refers to as “Nanny” takes the position as Janie’s guardian. The problem begins here for Janie because her Nanny not only spoils her, but also makes life choices for her. Nanny is old, and she only wants the best for her grandchild, for she knows that the world is a cruel place. Nanny makes the mistake of not allowing Janie to learn anything on her own. When Janie was sixteen years old, Nanny wanted to see her get married. Although Janie argued at first, Nanny insisted that Janie get married. “’Yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh… Ah wants to see you married right away.’” (Page 12). Janie was not given a choice in this decision. Her Nanny even had a suitor picked out for her. Janie told herself that she would try to make the best of the situation and attempt to find love in her marriage to Logan Killicks. But, as time went by, Janie realized that she still did not have any feelings of what she had considered to be love in her husband.

However, she quickly learns that Logan, finds her useless, “spoilt rotten” and compares her to his old wife, who did manual labor for him without many complaints (26). Not only does Janie find Logan unattractive, but she does not even find him intellectually or emotionally stimulating, as he never shows her affection (24). Attempting to gain some perspective on how to liven up her marriage, Janie seeks out the advice of her Nanny, an unmarried former slave. Janie claims that she “wants to want him sometimes” (23), but her efforts are in vain. Due to the conditions Nanny was raised in, Nanny told her granddaughter that love was bound to happen eventually because Logan was financially stable. Nanny did not understand Janie’s wishes of love; she was on a basic level of understanding. While Janie obeyed Nanny’s wish of her to stay with Logan for almost a year, when Janie knew the marriage was headed nowhere except disaster, she runs off with a man named Joe Sparks who she had correspondence with for almost a year. Janie concluded from her time with Logan “that marriage did not make love” (25). Janie’s view on love did not change with her relationship with Logan. In fact, it was because of the horrendous outcomes of the marriage that Janie decided to chase after her ideal relationship with

Logan simply amplifies the negative effect Nanny has on Janie. Rather than showing affection or love towards Janie, as a husband should, Logan is constantly passing judgment on Janie, and mistreating her. He accuses Janie of having an entitled attitude, and says to Janie, “You think youse white folks by de way you act…Ah’m too honest and hard-workin’ for anybody in yo’ family.” (Hurston 32) Not only does Logan insult Janie and her family, but he provides no compassion towards Janie, nor encouragement for her to try to become a better person. In her relationship with Logan Killicks, Janie is constantly unappreciated and looked down upon. Rather than being offered constructive criticism, she is constantly surrounded by negativity and recognition of her faults rather than her strong points, thus preventing her from developing into a better person or finding happiness.

This relationship with Logan became something that was no longer making Janie grow as a person, but became a relationship that began to destroy Janie as a person because Logan was no longer interested in her and began to belittle her (Hurtson 26). Everyone will have relationships that the individual benefits from, and some that the individual does not benefit from. After Janie moves on she finds a man named Jody and marries him. The relationship again tore down Janie as an individual because power took over the relationship, and Jody became demeaning and belittling to Janie. After this relationship ended, Janie was extremely hesitant to jump into another relationship because of her past relationships “ Janie talked and laughed in the store but never seemed to want to go any further”

In the book, Janie personally grows because at first she didn’t know what love was by doing demanding work, she would finally stand up for herself, and then finally understand what true love is with Tea Cake. At first, Janie would always rely on her nanny because she never had a mom or dad when she was young. The only reason Janie ended up marrying Logan Killicks was because her nanny wanted someone that could protect her, but she ended up doing all of his work. Janie was not sure how marriage was supposed to be because she has never been in love before and she was just happy to not be lonely anymore. In the book, it conveys “Come help me move dis manure pile befo’ de sun gits hot. You don’t take a bit of interest in dis place. ‘Tain’t no use in foolin’ round in dat kitchen all day long…You don’t

At first, Janie thought that loving someone meant you were married to them. Janie believed that she would love Logan because they were married as that was what Nanny had told her. In the few days before she would be with Killicks, Janie thought “Yes, she would love Logan after they were married… Husbands and wives always loved each other” (Hurston 21). Since Nanny had always told her that a marriage would make her happy, that’s what Janie thought. She had no feelings towards Logan, yet she held on to the hope that they appear once they were husband and wife.

Being forced into her first marriage with Logan Killicks, Janie was oblivious as to what love was. She believed that love came with marriage because her Nanny was feeding her incorrect information. Janie went back to Nanny one day because she still did not love Logan, so she expressed to her, “...you told me Ah mus gointer love him, and, and Ah don’t. Maybe if` somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it.” (Hurston 23). Janie’s ignorance gets in the way of her “pear tree” love when she agrees to stay with Logan. Her goal of finding love is only being pushed further away because of Nanny. However, Nanny passes away, and Janie becomes more distant from Logan and finds comfort in nature. Janie begins to realize that, “her husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her. He had ceased to wonder at her long black hair and finger it.” (26) Through this realization, her growth begins. She finds that in order to have a more successful marriage, both people need to devote their time into each other. Both need to want each other, and Janie never wanted Logan in the first place. Janie began to separate herself from Logan.

Janie’s relationship with her first husband Logan Killicks consists of no true feelings. Her grandmother suggests that she marries this man because of his ability to provide for her and give her the protection she needs. Her grandmother believes that in time, Janie will develop undying love for her husband however she fails to see that. She fulfilled her household duties but after a year of marriage Janie “noticed that her husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her. He ceased to wonder at her long black hair” (26). From this relationship she learned that “marriage did not make love” so her “first dream was dead” (25). Logan’s last name Killicks means a heavy stone or anchor which illustrates how her desired to have a women who would anchor herself to him and listen to him regaurdless since he is the more dominant. When Janie challenges him, he breaks down as he abruptly states that he would “come in dere and kill [her]” (31) which reflects his las name “kill”icks. The passion they once had dissipated which left Janie unsatisfied causing her to remarry to another man named Jody Starks. Initially, Janie enjoys being with Starks as he treats her with value and importance. However, soon she recognizes how he is just like Killicks as he treats her like a possession and object of beauty and does not allow her to voice her opinion as she is “getting’ too moufy” (75). He

The first man Janie marries is Logan Killicks. It was not her decision to marry him however. It was her grandmother 's decision. Janie does not want to marry Logan at all. Nanny wants her to marry Logan because he has a lot of land and will protect Janie. Nanny says "Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection. Ah ain’t gittin’ ole, honey, Ah’m done ole"(Hurston 15).She says this because she wants Janie to have protection and to avoid the fate that she and Janie 's mother had. She does not care if Janie loves him or not right now. She wants Janie to be well off and safe before she dies. Nanny tells Janie she will learn to love him once they are married. When she marries Logan she is sixteen years old. Their relationship is good in the beginning, but she does not love him. Also, Janie feels bored and confined by his rules. She is unhappy with the way Logan

Janie's dreams for her life are clearly mentioned. Obviously, she wants to find love, but not just any kind of love. She wants true love. We learn that Nanny just wanted her to live a successful life with somebody that will take care of her. Nanny had a different idea of love from Janie. This is how Janie ended up with Logan. A man that she did not have any feelings for. The problem with Logan was that he was too old for her and she did not feel anything within the relationship. This is not what she had hoped for her