Janie

I wish I could go into the story and shake Janie. I would just like to tell her that she does not have to follow what everyone else thinks is right and/or fulfill anyone else's dreams. Janie has had a hard life, it seems, but that does not mean she should settle. Zora Neale Hurston is a civil rights activist. This causes me to wonder why Janie did not fight harder for her own civil rights. Hopefully that is something we see later or Zora Neale Hurston later learns from her young life. Another thing I wonder about Janie: Why she revolves her life so much around love? She seems like a strong and independent woman. She does not want a husband who tells her what to do. Yet, she is capable of supporting herself. So why not be alone? At least for a little while. She may not have had much in her previous life but I think Janie should know what is worth sticking around for and what you are meant to leave behind. One reason I could think of to explain her yearning for a man is financial support. Even in Zora Neale Hurston's real life she struggled financially till her death. I feel that coming from a line of unmarried women, particularly unmarried raped women, would have some profound effect on Janie. That is not something that Zora Neale Hurston illustrates as being an issue. Janie has not strived to have a legitimate marriage, she has already achieved this. But the overarching goal for Janie seems to be to achieve true love.