Webster’s definition for power goes
as followed: the ability or right to control people or things. Could hair
however possess the power to control men? In Janie’s case her majestic “Caucasian”
hair does. In multiple scenarios Janie’s hair has been brought to the reader’s
attention, the strands coming from her scalp represents the control and
strength she casted over Jody as well as other men. Janie’s long hair had first
been introduced when she returned home. Her hair was untied and let loose,
reflecting her attitude from the inside out. In her first marriage Janie’s hair
was never brought to attention, but the marriage with Joe Stark’s proved to do
otherwise. Jody noticed the men stared at Janie’s luscious hair and longed to
touch it, “she was there in the store for him to look at, not those others” (Hurston 55). Jody the jealous, sees the stares and forces Janie to tie back her hair.
The symbol of power, and independence that Janie has the ability to possess is
pulled back after the use of the first head wrap.
Janie’s hair not only signifies her
power to control men, but also illustrates her Caucasian ancestors that lie
within her. The long hair represents Janie as being part white, furthering her identity
as being more than just colored. After Jody’s death Janie finally let her hair
fall against her skin "tearing her handkerchief from her head and let down
her plentiful hair." Like the apron before, here she is freeing herself
from the shackles of the marriage” (Hurston 83). As the reader, we are able to
conclude that Janie’s hair was her best feature, when she had her hair tied
back she felt lost, when it was set free she felt alive. The ability to key into
her own identity was prominent when her hair hit her back. Her hair was a
symbol of herself, when it was left alone and let free it felt most alive, yet
many tried to tie it back and withhold its beauty.
This picture illustrates Jody’s obsession with Janie’s hair,
and the control it has over him. He conceals the beauty, and keeps it’s all to
himself. The head wrap portrays Janie in a different light, hiding her
beautiful hair, and the power she could possess.
First, I absolutely love your title; it's so clever! Janie's hair definitely symbolizes power for her in numerous ways. Not only does it attracts men, but it also shows how she does not want anybody-- not even Nanny-- making decisions for her. Also her hair is an important note of the caucasian blood that runs through her. Perhaps it is because of that caucasian blood line itself that Janie feels entitled and demonstrates so much power.
ReplyDeleteJanie's hair is a symbol of her complicated identity. She's a black woman in a world where black women are not seen as beautiful or deserving of proper treatment, and yet her "white" hair is the subject of excessive control and patronage. This makes her a "desirable colored woman", which in the time period of this book is considered a paradox and a rarity. However, her hair brings out the worse aspects of male domination and social inequality already expressed in the book. Many many lust and yearn to be with Janie just because she has the quality of a white woman (her hair), but this makes Jody envious and greedy because Janie as his womanly possession is not allowed to lust back after the men in return.
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