Each of these tools occur in different parts of the chapter. The mule symbolizes Janie's position and struggles- especially because the mules parallel the way in which her husbands treat her. For example, Logan Killicks works his mule demandingly, as he does with Janie; and Joe Starks buys the mule to display his wealth. The mule also symbolizes her struggles with feminism and slavery by being oppressed. Everyone exploits the mule and her, and they don't have a voice.
Hurston also uses the literary tool of character archetypes. She uses classic archetypes such as the victim, the bully, and the hero. The purpose of employing these archetypes is to highlight Janie's unhappiness in Eatonville by connecting her to the mule because they share the same archetype. The archetypes also highlight the decline in the relationship between Janie and Joe because Joe does not have a definite position and oscillates between "bully" and "savior".
However, Hurston juxtaposes Joe Starks' role in fitting into an archetype. As the story is progressing, Joe gets less and less likable to Janie, and different sides of his start showing, which ultimately is causing the decline in Janie and Joe's relationship. On one hand, Joe could be viewed as a part of the "savior" archetype because he saved Janie from Logan Killicks as well as saving the mule from harassment. On the other hand though, Joe starts treating Janie harshly, as displayed in this chapter.
Which archetype do you think Hurston uses for Joe Starks and why does Hurston do this? In what way does this affect his relationship with Janie?
I think Hurston uses the "savior" and the "bully" as Joe Starks' archetypes. He is first a "savior" for saving Janie from Logan Killicks and saving the mule from being further harassed. Hurston makes him a "savior" to show how nice and considerate he is at the beginning of the book. Then Hurston changes his archetype to a "bully." He is a "bully" because of the way he treats Janie and the town. He is verbally and physically abusive towards her. I think this affects his relationship with Janie in a negative way because of the way he treats her. It most definitely doesn't make their relationship any better.
ReplyDeleteI think Hurston uses all three archetypes for Joe Stark. He is a savior for the town because he makes in successful, but this makes him both a victim and a bully. He gains power and ego and bullies people in the town and Janie to do his bidding. Because of his power, he feels that he is better than everyone in the town and better than Janie and can tell them all what to do. However, he is also a victim of the town. He is a victim of their opinions and he must keep his image perfect in order to maintain the power and respect he receives. This victimization makes him feel insecure which foments a need for more power and security. In order to obtain this, he bullies Janie. This makes their relationship very unequal and Jody is always criticizing Janie and making her feel inferior.
ReplyDeleteAs the story progresses, Jody goes through all three archetypes. When Janie is with Logan, Janie appears to be a victim and Logan is the bully. Because of this, when Joe Starks arrives and says he wants to make Janie his wife, he appears to be the savior. However, years into their relationship, after Jody builds the town, becomes its leader, and acts controlling and superior to Janie, he becomes the bully to Janie's victim. Finally, when he is on his deathbed, he appears to be the victim, not of a particular person but of his sickness and himself, and Janie, by attempting to talk with him and clear the air between them, becomes something of a savior figure.
ReplyDeleteI think Jody is composed of all three archetypes. First, he is viewed as the savior because he saves Janie from her terrible marriage with Logan and she is grateful for Jody having saved her and taken her away. Then, years into Janie and Jody's marriage, he becomes the bully to Janie because of his condescending and overbearing attitudes and his physical and mental abuse towards her. Lastly, on his deathbed, Jody becomes the victim when Janie is telling him everything wrong with him and how terrible he was to her. I think Jody is a very complicated character, and therefore can't be pegged as only one of the three archetypes. All three are dependent on each other and you can't have one without have one of the other two.
ReplyDeleteMy initial thoughts told me that Jody definitely fit the archetype of the bully the closest. Jody becomes a powerful man who uses his power to control his city and Janie. Jody reacts harshly and with force and power to any short-comings of either the town or Janie. In this way, because of his power, I thought of his as the bully. However, I do believe that in all scenarios, not just this one, people go through all three stages. Jody at one point could have been seen as Janie's hero when he took her away from Logan and when he felt as though he could positively influence the town. I also think that Hurston used Jody as a primary example of someone who was victimized by society. Jody's desire to be the man that society wanted ultimately ended up causing problems in his marriage which led to unhappiness. Jody refused to listen to Janie's non-traditional beliefs about women being treated as equals, and it ultimately drove a wedge in their relationship. Therefore, I think you could argue that Jody fits any of these three archetypes, but I see him mainly as the bully.
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