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Faulkner Relaxing after his AP Lang & Comp Exam
Faulkner Relaxing after his AP Lang & Comp Exam
Contributors
- AParrish
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Janie speaks of the "helpless things" in order to show her keen awareness of the issues in society and the flaws that she recognizes that she feels can be fixed. However, Janie allows Jody's power over her to overcome her feelings and desires. She says, "But Ah hates disagreement and confusion, so Ah better not talk. It makes it hard tuh get along" (57). Janie wanted to defend Matt Bonner and his runaway mule, because the townspeople in front of the store were irritating the animal for no apparent reason. “They oughta be shamed uh theyselves! Teasin’ dat poor brute beast lak they is!” (56). As much as she feels it is her duty to stick up for the mule, she feels inferior to the other townspeople as well as Jody and keeps her mouth shut in order to avoid conflict. Jody dictates her behavior and opinions, whether she morally agrees with them or not. This quote demonstrates Janie’s care and affection for all forms of life, and underscores her belief that they should not be treated poorly by ignorant humans. She says her fights are helpless because she comprehends the structure of her society and knows that no matter how much effort she employs, she will never receive the result she hopes for. This is a scene in which Janie furthers her progression from childhood into adulthood, losing the innocent idea that all people would respect her opinions and beliefs and help her in achieving the goals she wishes for.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what Kara said, but to add on to those ideas, I think Janie mentions these "helpless things" because she feels bad for herself. In mentioning these things, Janie makes herself feel better, because she knows that someone other than herself is suffering as well. Janie hates the power that Jody exerts over her, and this seems to be where the mourning for these "helpless things" stems from.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to repeat what Kara has said, so I'll try to mention other ideas. I think Janie also wants to help fight for the rights for the people of her town; she tries to talk to the people on the porch of the store, but Jody does not want her to get involved with them, because he thinks that they are below her, and somewhat "trashy". This is just my own idea, and I have no idea if it's accurate or not, but I feel like the only reason that Janie stayed with Jody for as long as she did, was so that she could help the town progress along with him. We talked about this in class a little bit today (and it's before page 50, sorry) but on page 46, Jody asks, "Well, honey, how yuh lak bein' Mrs. Mayor?" to which Janie replies, "Hope it soon gits over" (46). In this, we see that Janie is struggling along through their strained relationship. However, through it all, Janie is able to stand her ground as a woman in society, and refuses to let her husband get the best of her. When Jody tries to make fun of her in front of the whole store, Janie insults him right back, making him look like a fool in front of all of his townspeople. "But Ah'm uh woman every inch of me, and Ah know it. Dat's uh whole lot more'n you kin say...Talkin' bout me lookin' old! When you pull down yo' britches, you look lak de change uh life" (79). While this example may sound like it is Janie's own problem, and i undoubtedly is, I think that there is more to it than that. I think that she secretly hopes that by showing people that she willingly stands up for herself and can insult her husband in front of the whole town, she hopes that she can encourage other women to do the same; to stand up for their beliefs and defend their opinions. I think that Janie just really wants to set a good example for people to follow, and that is why she is able to put up with Jody until he dies. and then after he dies, she pretends to be mourning, in order for people to think that she is doing the proper thing, so that they will follow her. she still has all of her power and money when Jody dies, so she can still influence those around her.
Janie has a strong feeling of helping the "helpless" things most likely because she feels helpless and inferior power-wise. "She got up without a word and went off for the shoes. A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her. People ought to have some regard for helpless things" (57. Janie shows that she may not have a strong voice, as in a strong "say" in situations, and for that she feels for and longs to help the "helpless" find their voices. (This goes along with our theme, of finding ones voice.) During her attempt to find the voices, or give the helpless voices, she searches for her voice. Yet by searching she still falls under the shadow of others, she needs to create this voice.
ReplyDeleteNature again is playing a large part, as these other helpless things fall under nature. Nature may seem helpless compared to people, as the mule is helpless from being tormented by the people. By Janie being helpless as well, and attempting to help the other helpless around her, Hurston brings nature and humans together, connecting them. This connection seems cyclical as well, connecting many aspects of the novel, as in the sun and night scenes.
Molly's mention of nature foreshadows something interesting... keep an eye on the way(s) in which nature shapes, humbles, propels and strengthens the characters in the novel. Think, too, about the title... whose eyes were watching God? What does this say about nature and/or about helplessness? These aren't necessarily questions to answer precisely or immediately, but things to think about as you read and respond.
ReplyDeleteLarissa and Kara--I think you both make several good points. The issue of power is absolutely central the question of helplessness.
How/does helping "helpless things" give Janie power? Or demonstrate her strength? Can she be helpless if she is giving help?
The quote involving "helpless things" occurs after Janie witnesses the mule being abused by Lum, so these helpless things can refer to anything and anyone that's ever been bullied and has had no way of defending itself. She also wants to fight for them because, like her, they do have something to say and contribute towards society, but no one ever wants to hear it from them; when Janie confronts Joe about making fun of her for her age, she snaps and points out that he's ten years older and never lets her talk about his age, causing Joe to end up hitting her. However, we see here that Joe himself is also helpless; according to the novel, "Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible," (Hurston 79). This is later seen again when Joe is lying on his deathbed, actually helpless, while instead of trying to give him hope Janie crushes his last dreams by informing him that it's already too late for him to survive his sickness. As Joe states, he "ain't used tuh thinkin' 'bout it," showing how truly scared he is (86). In this case, the helpless things really don't only apply to Janie; they seem to apply to everyone. Everyone is helpless in their own way. As Janie thinks, "People ought to have some regard for helpless things," but Janie herself never has any regard for Joe and his helplessness when she tells him off for all of the bad things he's done right before he dies (57). A war of defense of helpless things does indeed need to be fought, for it's the helpless things themselves that make others who are helpless feel even more helpless in their helplessness (and yes, that sentence makes sense).
ReplyDeleteI'M SO MAD I JUST WROTE AN ENTIRE LONG POST AND THE BLOG DELETED IT. so here i go again...
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that has been mentioned so far, but in addition, i feel that Janie's desire to fight for Jody's health when he falls ill, as well as her interest in mending their failing relationship exhibit ways in which Janie fights for seemingly "helpless" causes or things.
After their falling out, when Jody falls ill, Janie still attempts to make him get better physically. "She had him bring a doctor from Orlando wihtout giving Joe a chance to refuse, and without saying she sent for him."(Hurston 83). Despite the fact that her husband had been sick for a long period of time and things were not looking good for him, she still tried to fight for him in his time of health desperation. Even after the doctor declares, "there is no way for him to live,"(hurston 83), Janie continues to try to fight for him and his well-being with an attempt to mend their relationship. "She got up that morning with the firm determination to go in there and have a good talk with Jody,"(Hurston 84). Although their relationship seems to be full of so many problems, now including Jody's kidney failure, Janie still makes an effort to fight for her helpless husband, even if it does appear to be a lost cause.
Through Janie's attempt at bettering her relationship with Jody before his death as well as her desire to get him medical attention for his sickness although Jody ends up dying and they do not resolve their relationship issues in the end, it is shown that Janie fights for something helpless, her husband.
In response to Ms. Parrish's question, I feel as if the helping of "helpless things" is important to Janie because she clearly feels helpless herself, and it gives her a feeling of power and control, even though it is obvious she has no real control. She desperately wants to lead her own life and make her own decisions, and thus she can sympathize with creatures that she feels are in similar situations as her own. For example, like Kara said, when she saw the mule being mistreated by the townsmen, she felt sympathy for it and wanted to help it, and soon the mule was an important and respected figure in the town because of her sympathy. However, it is clear that while she may be able to help other helpless beings, she has a very difficult time helping herself, as Jody told her that she couldn't even attend the bull's funeral, "But de mayor's wife is somethin' different again. Anyhow they's liable tuh need me tuh say uh few words over de carcass, dis bein' uh special case. But you ain't goin' off in all dat mess uh comonness. Ah'm surprised at yuh fuh askin'." (60). It is obvious that Jody is in control of what happens to Janie, and she tries to make up for her own lack of "voice" by helping others that are "helpless" find theres.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it is interesting that Jody always seems to use excuses for making Janie do certain things that make it seem like he is complementing her. Not only would he not let her go to the funeral because he thought that she was "better" than the commonfolk, but also he made her sit outside the store for the same reason. Also, he made her wear a head-rag over her hair, which shows that much of his reasoning is just based on the fact that he is over protective of her and jealous of others getting near her.
I agree with everything everyone has said and feel as though the helpless things which Janie fights for are causes that she knows can never be completely resolved. Although Janie is aware of this, she continues to fight, which causes a feeling of helpless devotion. She fights for the rights of the town, and often attempts to stand up for herself. Janie often speaks of how perspective and circumstances relate to opportunity, and if perspective were different, maybe she would search for people and opportunities instead of hopeless things. “She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she could find them and they find her. But she had been whipped like a curdog and run off down a back road after things. It was all according to the way you see things….Here nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon…and pinched it in to such a little bit of thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter’s neck tight enough to choke her” (89). As Larissa said, she takes comfort in the fact that others are suffering as well with theses helpless things, and often feels sorry for herself. The beginning of the novel states, “…Women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth” (1). Janie’s first dream dies when she realizes finding love isn’t as simple as she expected, and becomes more experienced and less naïve. “Janie’s first dream was , so she became a woman” (25). As a woman, she stands up for her morals and beliefs when other people do not, and accepts her morals as the only truth.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found a quote that relates to Molly’s comment of nature appearing helpless, which plays a strong role in the novel. . “‘…It’s nature, cause nature makes caution. It’s de strongest thing dat God ever made, now. Fact its de onliest thing God ever made. He made nature and nature made everything else’” (65). Nature can be cyclical because we often want to hide from its unpredictability and dangers. However, nature creates everything else, including caution, so we cannot hide from it. This results in changing feelings of either love or fear towards nature.
Kaare, it probably took me anywhere from 3-5 minutes to decipher that last sentence, but in the end I think it did make sense and I would tend to agree with what you are saying. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you are insinuating that if people did not try to aid others (inanimate objects included), they would feel that much more helpless. In short, if helpless people did not attempt to escape their helplessness, then there is nothing for them to live for therefore forcing them into an even deeper feeling of helplessness. For Janie, I suppose that this struggle to aid others in their struggle for identity gives her purpose, and therefore a desire to live.
ReplyDeleteAs Larissa states, “Janie hates the power that Jody exerts over her, and this seems to be where the mourning for these "helpless things" stems from”. By exerting the energy she has pent up on both other people and objects, Janie alleviates out this feeling of helplessness with a newfound sense of motivation. Using the same quote Kara used “They oughta be shamed uh theyselves! Teasin’ dat poor brute beast lak they is!” (56), it is clear that Janie intends to not place her helplessness on others, but rather uses it as a driving force in helping them. She relieves her sense of helplessness by easing the helplessness of things she sees. Whether it is the mule depicted in this scene or another “helpless” creature, Janie deadens the load of being harassed and teased, by taking the load off something else.
P.S. Kaare, after writing this, I have a newfound respect for you being able to place it all in one sentence. I believe congratulations are in order tomorrow.
Why thank you Greg.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with what other people have posted on the blog, when I read this passage, a disparate concept came to mind. Rather than viewing the "helpless things" as a specific character or moment in the book, I saw them as women in the society of the novel, and, on a larger scale, blacks in America.
ReplyDeleteThe first is seen quite clearly through Janie's experiences. Again and again in the book, we see Janie being taken advantage of and ordered around. She never has any say at all in what she does. At the beginning of the novel, Nanna orders her not to kiss or mess around with Taylor, but to Marry Logan Killicks instead. Janie was not allowed to be a child and explore her hopes and dreams. Instead, she was thrown into a loveless marriage after the death of her grandmother. Even though Janie did not want to, she had not choice but to marry Killick. She was defenseless. In her marriage, her little struggles against the authority of her husband amounted to nothing, and even when she had though she had found a bnetter man with Joe, she was simply decieved and taken advantage of. Joe, who seemed so sweeet and loving at first meeting, calling himself "a man wid principles" (29) and vowing to give Jodie a better life, turns out to be a control freak who forces Janie to follow specific codes and guidlines, not to mention controlled the way she dressed and did up her hair. Jody even made Janie put her hair up in the shop because it was his and his alone to admire. Jody and Janie weren't really married. Rather, Jody owned Janie and ordered her around, utilizing the masculine power we talked about in class today. Though Janie wasnted to fight Joe, to gain some say in what happened, all of society was against here and her efforts were to no avail. So instead, she kept her head down, her hair up and her mouth closed, for with no one to stand up for her and other helpless things, she was incapable of resisting and altering the dynamics of her marriage. Janie was stuck in a cyclical pattern of repression and hardship, which did not end until Tea Cake came along and did have some regard for helpless things. During her marriage with the Mayor, Janie was simply used as a tool rather than a human being - something to be moved around and then hung up when doen, all without complaint or comment.
That segways into my second point, which dealth with how all of the blacks in the story were in essence, helpless things. In the book, there is a heirarchy of power, in which, everyone is a helpless thing with respect to those above them. In the town, Jody is boss - everyone is helpless to resist him. When a woman came in to buy food for her family on credit, she had to go through Jody. Like the vultures circling over the carcass of the donkey, Jody circled over the town, telling people to go here and there, ordering Janie to hold down the shop, and and jump at his every whim. Then, if you look further back in the book, Jody himself had to answer to his white bosses, who were themselves a part of white society which had opressed blacks for generations. And yet, the layers continue, until finally, everyone is held accountable before God.
I feel in this sense that the "helpless things" are everything on Earth. Jodie does not limit herself just to fighting for herself, or society, or nature. Rather, she is fighting for equality under the eyes of God and for the cessation of all oppression.
no problemo
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think I just explored my way into an epiphany and got my post in just in time. Sweet.
ReplyDelete"A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her. People ought to have some regard for helpless things" (57).
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I believe at this point in the book Janie was confused as to what a 'helpless thing' was. As we see with Logan (as Taylor mentioned) - she doesn't realize that her dream had died until long after it occured. In the same way I believe that at this point, while she feels a tension and will to help 'helpless' things such as the bull or the female gender, she doesn't yet connect this idea to people, including herself.
It is only towards the end of the section that Janie realizes this. Speaking of very early on in the book the narrator says, "She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people, but she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after things" (89). When she married Jody, she became distracted - focused on things. In this way I believe she understood disagreement, arguments, jokes and even the bull as 'helpless things' when she says, "They oughta be ashamed of theyselves! Tesain' dat poor brute lak they is" (56). However, not until this point does she realize that she too was a 'helpless thing', and realize what she had freed herself from. Directly after she realizes (through narration) that she had been focused on things instead of people, the book then talks about differences in perspective. So while she had always known she was suppressed it was not until after the fact that she realized that she was, in fact, a 'helpless thing'. In this way, in these 50 pages she greatly matures.
Luke, what was that word you used instead of epiphany today?
ReplyDeleteI just realized we were only supposed to use pages 50-100 so ignore the quotes I used from the first 50 pages..
ReplyDeleteBeth--focusing on change and growth in Janie's character is really important. How does this change manifest itself in her behavior--not so much int hings like her focus and her internalized shame, but in the way she actively behaves. To what extent is the narrative in her voice? To what extent is the narrative "linear" or "cyclical" (remember that we start the book with a flashback... it's easy to miss, but Janie meets Tea Cake AFTER she meets Starks)
ReplyDeleteThey're still valid quotes, Nicole!
ReplyDeletehahahahahahha luke said epitome
ReplyDeleteI also agree with almost everything that has been said so far. To address the question of whether it is possible for Janie to be helpless while she is giving help, I think that Janie is still helpless, at least to some degree. She has a great deal of strength, however as Molly pointed out, she has not yet found her voice. Janie gives away the help that she could be using to help herself. This makes her strong but helpless because she does not think herself worth disrupting her and Jody's lifestyle, no matter how frustrated she becomes "But Ah hates disagreement and confusion, so Ah better not talk. It makes it hard tuh git along" (Hurston 57). Jody is not really in control of Janie- if Janie decided to leave him and find some place else to stay, nothing was stopping her. But it is partly Janie's sympathy and understanding of the helpless that keeps her living in silence. As a few of you have already discussed, Janie feels sympathy for Jody, recognizing his insecurities and allowing him to reflect them onto her. In a way, her attempt to help him by allowing him to make fun of her makes her more helpless herself.I think that until Janie finds her voice and more importantly takes pride in it, she will not have any real power. Does helping other helpless people help Janie become less helpless herself? Maybe she sees herself in them and becomes more aware "She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen. She had a inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them...That was a bow to the outside of things" (72). When Janie realizes who Jody is and first thinks about leaving, it is evident that she has not found herself (cheesy as that sounds) because she allows him to define her, and chooses to live for Jody instead of herself "Maybe he ain't nothin'...but he is something in my mouth. He's got to be else Ah ain't got nothin' tuh live for. Ah'll lie and say he is" (76).
ReplyDeleteLibbey's post interrelates Taylor's idea that Janie is working for the "cessation of oppression" and loves all things “helpless” equally. I think Janie is very aware of the hierarchy that Taylor talked about, and I think that speaks to what Libby said, "Janie's sympathy and understanding of the helpless keeps her living in silence". Like Taylor said, "Helpless things" are "everywhere on earth" to Janie, and perhaps magnified because of her own helplessness. The way that she responds to the "helpless things" as she grows in character (first defending the mule silently, and then slowly taking action about her own mistreatment) reflects her equal love for everything “helpless”: towards the end of this section she feels sorry for Joe, even after everything he put her through, and sobs to Phoebe, "It ain't always been too pleasant, 'cause you know how Joe worships de work of his own hands, but God in heben knows Ah wouldn't do one thing tuh hurt nobody" (82). The “helpless things” Janie fights for are things much bigger than herself, her objectivity toward sorrow and oppression is seen in her ability to still feel sympathy toward Joe.
ReplyDeleteThe narrative becomes increasingly dominated by Janie's voice as she begins to actively fight the oppression in her marriage. I disagree with Beth, I think that Janie was aware that she was "helpless" all along, because of her nanny and because of her mother, and was only immediately or subconsciously silence about it until she became more comfortable in herself. I think you can see Janie's immediate awareness of helplessness if only in her fear of inheriting the struggles of her mother and her grandmother's helplessness: "Logan was accusing her of her mamma, her grandmama and her feelings, and she couldn't do a thing about any of it" (32). It is her belief that she can't do "anything about any of it" that reverses as she matures, until she finally does do something about it.
ReplyDeleteAs the narrative turns more toward Janie's verbal defenses, it becomes less cyclical. As she recognizes the oppressive hierarchy that Taylor discussed, she begins defending herself and others for a cause, moving toward something, and is therefore trying to rid herself, and others, of the cycle. In this way,the narrative moves toward a linear and distinct voice as Janie starts trying to break out of the cycle she feels trapped by and becomes more sure of herself.
Okay, so this post is really really late and I'm sorry again but I don't think I can really read everyone's post so I apologize for repeating anything anyone else has said.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this hasn't been brought up yet and since I don't exactly want to (nor do you probably want me to) list off all the things that she helps that can be defined as "helpless" (it's probably been done many times in this blog so far), but has anyone considered the "helpless" situation that Janie was born out of and if this has any connection to her "need" to help these "helpless" things? Being the child born of a result of a rape, her birth (the symbol of innocence, renewal, etc)instead becomes a mark of pain, destruction. This is a baby born from a broken situation from a broken family. Janie recognizes her past and also her inability to change it, being the living symbol of her own helplessness (against men? against love? against desire? against temptation? against...? Needs further thought here). When she realizes she cannot help herself (she has already tried switching men, houses, towns, etc) she turns to help others to heal her own pain. Because she believes herself eternally helpless, she turns to others with hope. Janie turns to hate Joe but on his death bed, she sees how he has become helpless in the face of death and suddenly she is able to sympathize with him. When walking into the room it reads "He was lying on his side facing the door like he was expecting somebody or something. A sort of changing look on his face. Weak-looking but sharp-pointed about the eyes Through the thin counterpane she could see what was left of his belly huddled before him on the bed like some helpless thing seeking shelter" (85). When she sees Joe without his power she sees an oppurtunity to comfort because she knows she cannot console herself in her own helplessness.