Jody Starks- Jody is Janie ‘s 2nd hubby. He is a hard-working, but commanding adult male. Unlike a women’s rightist, he has really strong beliefs of male laterality. Although it seems as if their two beliefs and attitudes would collide, Jody still provides for Janie and does many things to lend to the relationship. Through an statement between Janie and Jody in chapter 6 Jody shows the cocky side of him when he assumes that Janie will be happy for him, while she is non.

Tea Cakes- Tea Cakes was Janie ‘s first love and 3rd hubby. He has a contagious carefree attitude that spreads to other people including Janie. Although Tea Cakes has this ambient quality, there are frequently two sides to it. Tea Cakes has stolen from and ache Janie. But in chapter 11, Janie shows how he has ever been her “ first true love ” and how she has been the happiest with him out of all the cats she ‘s been with. This shows how his personality is contagious and spreads to everyone around him.

Logan Killicks- Logan was Janie ‘s first hubby, but Janie ne’er had true love for him. Logan was a difficult working husbandman who was everlastingly loyal to Janie. He provided fiscal security for the both of them, but worked Janie to the bone as a farm married woman. He did all he could make to break their relationship, but finally they got into a battle about how Logan thought that Janie did n’t set any attempt into the relationship. This shows that Janie married jejunely seeking fiscal security instead than true love.

Pheoby Watson- Pheoby is Janie ‘s merely true friend who is caring and loving towards her. This trait is shown in chapter 1 when chitchat is started about Janie but Pheoby is at that place to put them consecutive and lodge up for Janie.

Subjects

Marriage V. Independence

In chapter two, Nanny Crawford begs Janie to get married Logan Killicks even though Janie does n’t cognize him or love him. She follows through with her grandmother ‘s wants because she loves her and trusts her judgement about Logan. He ends up supplying Janie the security she needs and deserves. But in the terminal, they separate because Janie ne’er put any attempt into the relationship while Logan ever did.

In chs, Janie opens up to Pheoby and explains to her that she has strong feelings towards Tea Cakes. She tells Pheoby that she loves him and is really happy with him and that she does n’t care what others think about their relationship. She says she does n’t care about how old he is, or how much money he has, but that she is happy for one time and would instead remain that manner.

Self Consciousness, Fleeing Judgment, and Seeking Redress

In chapter two, Janie talks about her childhood and how she was an castaway and how she ne’er realized it until people pointed it out. Nanny Crawford had to mover her out of the Washburn house to protect her from other childs ‘ abuses.

In chapter 14, Janie is still in a relationship with Tea Cakes, but looks back on her past relationship with Jody. She remembers what everyone used to believe about them and she realizes that it ‘s done and over with and that she does n’t care about what others think about her. Since this realisation, she ‘s stopped experiencing bad for herself and learned to populate life as she wants.

In chapter 19, Tea Cakes gets ill because he gets attacked by a rabid Canis familiaris. His sickness causes him to do undue determinations and threatens to kill Janie by manner of a gun. The lone manner Janie would last is if she shot him with a rifle, and that ‘s precisely what she did. Janie was blamed for the slaying and prosecuted. Looking for a solution from people ‘s judgement, she tries to acquire rid of anything that reminds her of Tea Cakes. But she keeps the one thing that means the most to her, Tea ‘s seeds, which remind her of her one and merely true love.

Does power carry through people or alter them?

In chapter four, Janie is still in a relationship with Logan and they reach a unsmooth spot in their relationship. Logan asks Janie to make jobs around the house and do things that she ‘s non familiar with. As clip progresses, Logan gets accustomed to the altering relationship and takes advantage of Janie and works her like a farm married woman. Janie started to detect that one time he got something from her, he ne’er stopped and kept inquiring her to make this and that. And finally ended the relationship

In chapter six, Janie and Jody move into a new and different town, but with his male laterality beliefs he happens to go the town ‘s new city manager. As he additions the power of a city manager, he starts to move and handle Janie with less regard. Janie notices and realizes that Jody was n’t the same adult male she had married and that he had changed non for the better, but for worse.

In chapter 17, when Janie is married to Tea Cakes, he abuses the strong attractive force love has between two people. In one case, Tea Cakes slapped Janie when she did nil wrong to merit being slapped. But this goes to demo that Tea Cakes has Janie ‘s love and he knows that she wo n’t go forth him to be with person else. Love has a powerful bond between two people and sometimes it is abused merely like Tea Cakes has demonstrated.

Symbols

Janie ‘s Hair- Janie ‘s hair symbolizes her independency and the many lessons she ‘s erudite. Her hair shows that she is being different because it is improbable for a black adult female to hold straight hair. Her hair sets her apart from the mean individual and it shows how she has grown as a individual. It shows that she ‘s made determinations, good and bad, but she was able to get the better of the bad. And now she knows to follow her bosom alternatively of the sentiments of others or anything else.

The Pear Tree- The Pear Tree symbolizes self fulfilment for Janie. Ever since she was a miss she would watch the bees and the tree, and how they portion a common relationship. She shows throughout the book that she is looking for the right cat who can supply her with the felicity. Through this hunt for the right psyche mate, she finds out who she truly is.

The Hurricane- As the pear tree symbolizes the good properties ; the hurricane symbolizes the bad properties. The hurricane represents Janie ‘s relationships that were unsuccessful, and how the unsuccessful two were good and taught her lessons that led to the one true love that she cherished. The hurricane shows how the universe can be rough and helter-skelter, yet we make the best out of it.