Chapter 6 starts off with Janie talking about how she dislikes working in the store. It then goes on to talk about the people who sit on the porch of the store and their gossiping about Matt Bonner’s Mule. Janie wants to join in on their conversation but Joe prohibits it. It is at this point in the novel where we learn why Joe wants Jodie to keep her hair up. He does this due to jealousy stemming from other men looking at her hair. In one instance, Joe saw Walter playing with the end of Janie’s hair. It was after this instance that Joe demanded her hair be tied up. The book says, “She was in the store for him to look at, not those others” (55). This shows how Joe views Janie: as his property. 

This chapter also holds a lot of references to mules. It starts with people talking about how badly Matt Bonner treats his mule, then Janie getting sad at this treatment, and finally, Joe buying the mule for 5 dollars. Joe is seen as a hero for buying the mule to set it free. When the mule dies, Joe prohibits Janie from attending its funeral showing yet another example of Joe limiting Janie’s power and treating her like property. 

In addition to Joe limiting Janie's power in this chapter, the couple starts to have more fights. The first fight happens in the store when Janie accuses Joe of prohibiting her from having fun and they start to argue about the topic. In this case, Janie fights to hold her tongue but does so anyway. Again, Janie can not find the pig’s feet for a customer and Joe yells at her. She still decides to hold her tongue. 

This chapter also shows Joe physically abusing Janie. Joe slaps Janie because she messed up a dinner.

Janie finally speaks up when the men on the porch are making fun of Mrs. Robinson and she says, “It’s so easy to make yo’ self out God Almighty when you ain't got nothin’ tough against but women and chickens” (75). She is immediately silenced by Joe, but this instance is the first where she speaks her mind. 

Chapter 7 focuses on Joe and Janie as they get older. Joe becomes more verbally abusive towards Janie in attempts to make her feel bad about her aging looks. This all stems from his own insecurity from growing old, as he is older than Janie. One day at the store Joe insults Janie's looks and so she insults him right back. Out of pure rage, he hits her. This is where the chapter ends.

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Their Eyes Were Watching God ch.4-5

 For this blog post, I wanted to discuss the role that Joe Starks plays and becomes in these chapters. Joe is introduced in the first few pages of chapter 4. His intentions are very clear in what his future is going to look like; "Kept hearin' 'bout them buildin' a new state down heah in Floridy and sort of wanted to come... But when he heard all about 'em makin' a town outta colored folks, he knowed dat was de place he wanted to be. He has always wanted to be a big voice, but de white folks had de sayso where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin' dis place dat colored folks was buildin' theirselves" (Hurston 28). Joe describes the town of all colored folks and knows that's the place for him; he wants to lead and wants to have a "big voice". This intrigues Janie, and she wants to learn more. 

After they meet in secret a few times Janie realizes that she no longer wants to be with her husband, Logan, and that she wants to run away with Joe Starks. We see her even talk to Logan about running away from him to be with someone else and he is so set that she wouldn't dare run away from him that he puts no effort into to trying to convince her to stay. One day, after Logan gives her a long speech about what kind of wife she should be to him, Janie decides to run away and get married to Joe Starks. 

They move down to the town of only colored people. There they met Amos Hicks and Lee Croker. Within a few questions, Joe realizes that the town has only 50 acres of land and no Mayor, so he decides to make a change. Within a few hours of stepping foot in the town, Joe buys 200 acres of land for the town. The next night he holds a meeting to answer any questions people in the town might be having and see how he could help them. Tony, another town member, moves to make Joe Starks the new mayor of the town. Everyone was so excited they didn't even need to vote on it. Joe is gaining the respect and authority of an extremely important person to this town. 

After being elected mayor, Joe decides they need a store in the town for any possible needs anyone in the town could have. He also decides that the town needs a streetlamp and creates a whole event around lighting the street lamp. While Joe is doing all of these things for the town, the people in the town are starting to get a little annoyed with him and are starting to see his true colors. However, Janie reflects on how Joe is such a respected person in the town no one would dare stand up to him to tell him he was wrong or being too bossy. So the people of the town sit and wonder about Joe Starks the man they allected mayor and if he really is the right person to be running the town.

Their Eyes Were Watching God ch. 1-3

 For this blog post, I wanted to discuss the complex family dynamic that Janie has with her grandmother and absent mother and father. It seems foreign for a family member to want to see a girl married off so young, but Janie’s grandmother is determined to have her out of the house the moment that she shows interest in boys. Though the grandmother is acting in a way that she deems as right and is “protecting” Janie from the horrors that she and Janie’s mother experienced, it is evident that Janie is miserable in her marriage. There is definitely an advantage to Janie being raised by an older woman who exudes wisdom and knowledge, but Janie’s grandmother is definitely fearful and I feel as though it affects Janie’s childhood. Because the grandmother is so afraid that something similar will happen to Janie like it did her own daughter, she is proactive in separating Janie from things that could harm her. 

The aspect of absent parents is also intriguing because happily married parents offer an example for love in a child’s life, yet Janie does not have the opportunity to witness this in her own parents and is still obsessed with love. In my mind it seems painful to wish so hard for something that you have never really seen first hand. I think that the grandmother struggles with this more as she was there for the trauma her daughter experienced and attempted to help her through the recovery process and does not want to see Janie suffer. 

quotes:

“So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid” (Hurtston 11)

“Dats what makes me skeered. You don’t mean no harm. You don’t even know where harm is at. Ah’m ole now. Ah can’t be always guidin’ yo’ feet from harm and danger. Ah wants to see you married right away” (Hurston 13)