December
2008
Ch. 3, 4, & 50
These chapters show the inevitable. Janie was too unhappy with her husband so when a well-dressed, wealthy stranger came down the road one day, she was more than swept off her feet. Janie’s new husband, Joe Starks, is a restless man who is looking for the opportunity to be involved with the creation of a new, all black, town. When they arrive, they see that the town is in total ruin as they do not even have a mayor. Joe talks about bringing things to the town, such as a post office, which some of the local men find difficult to comprehend.
“Us talks about de white man keepin’ us down! Shucks! He don’t have tuh. Us keeps our own selves down.” (pg. 39)
It is hard to believe this however when one of the towns men says it, the other agrees. This town is so old and full of people who do not see a future for themselves. However with the arrival of Joe Starks, they begin to see and help with the change that is occurring in their town.
With all leaders, good or bad, there are bound to be people who disagree with the current leadership. However in this town, the people have never encountered a strong leader before and thus feel threatened by Starks. The men talk about how they feel pushed around and how the mayor has so many benefits while the others work. From my stand point Starks is a great leader however the people have never seen something like this before and thus immidietly identify him as a threat. Although Joe does seem to be drawn to power, so does every other leader in history. Hopefully Joe will realize this mistrust coming from the towns people or else i fear for his job, his home, and his life. And now that Janie is his wife, there is much more at stake as he is responsible for more than just himself no matter what.
“They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down.” (pg.50)
