“Listen,
Jody you ain’t de Jody ah run off down de road wid. You’se whut’s left after he
died” (86). It is no secret that Jody is dying. The reader knows it, Jody knows
it and Janie knows it too. Joe is beginning to complain about his back, his
belly is beginning to sag and his eyes are a little absent. As Janie said,
Death has “his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come”
(84). Death is waiting to take Jody, but as Jody dies Janie is becoming more
alive.
As Jody begins to die Janie realizes that all
she wants to do is “show her shine” (90). She wants the world to see her to get
to know her, but she never could because Jody would not let her. When Jody dies
she begins to take a good look at herself. She mainly takes notice of her hair.
When Janie lets down her hair her personality is different. In a way, the
release of Janie’s hair represents her freedom. Tying up her hair made her feel
contained. That is why after Jody died she “burnt up every one of her head rags
and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging
well below her waist” (89). With Jody’s death comes Janie’s freedom. Even
though Janie feels bad for his death, she cannot help but feel happy. She
finally can wear her hair down and associate with the people of Eatonville.
Janie does not mind being a widow; she has had the taste of freedom and for
her, “This freedom feeling was just fine” (90).
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ReplyDeleteJanie is essentially free once Jody passes; she is capable of saying or doing whatever she pleases without being apprehensive of the disapproval from a man. Your reference to Janie and her hair provides a relevant example! Jody always had Janie tie her hair up since he did not want other men admiring her beauty - this was concealing her identity. When Jody dies though, Janie lets her hair down and burns all the rags once used to conceal her true character. You are exactly correct in stating that as Jody dies, Janie becomes more alive.
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