1. Janie's hair - Janie's hair symbolizes her individuality when it is down. It symbolizes her beauty and womanhood. However, when her hair is tied back it symbolizes how Joe limits her in the store.
2. overalls - Janie overalls symbolizes that Janie does whats she wants and whats makes her happy. She does not worry about what people think of her.
3. the pear tree - The pear tree symbolizes a sexual experience inside Janie, which leads her into becoming a woman. It is a beautiful revelation and throughout the book, the pear tree grows with her.
4. gate - The gate symbolizes that Janie is trapped in a world where she doesn't belong. Her mind sees the gate opening but in reality she's trapped and can't escape. There's something beyond the gate that she is searching for.
5. horizon - The horizon symbolizes that a new day is born everyday. A new day brings new opportunities and something more to reach for. Janie is always searching for something more. The horizon gives her hope because a new always comes.
6. mule - "Black women are the mules of the world". The mule symbolizes how black women are expected to do hard labor work just like men. Men do not want to women to be more superior than them. Women need to work just as much as men on top of taking care of a home and children.
7. manure pile - The manure pile symbolizes that Janie and Logan's marriage only consisted of Logan putting Janie through hard labor because he didn't feel like doing it.
8. head rag - The head rag symbolizes how Joe is holding back Janie from the rest of the men of the town. Janie has beautiful hair but he makes her tie it up because he is scared that another man may be attracted to Janie and take him from her. In a way, he is jealous of her.
9. checkers - Joe makes Janie get out a checker game for him, but he doesn't let her play. This symbolizes that Joe thinks that women are only good for helping out around the house, but that they don't have enough intelligence to participate in anything that the men do.
10. Joe Starks house - The house symbolizes how even though Joe is supposed to be equal to everyone else in the town because they are all black, he is making himself superior to them and "above their level."
No comments:
Post a Comment