Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

568 Words2 Pages

The relationship between Janie and her grandmother is full of love and compassion. Nanny was born directly into slavery, and lived a very depressing life. The daughter of nanny, Leafy, also lived a gruesome life, at the age of seventeen she was raped by her schoolteacher, then after giving birth to Janie, she became an alcoholic and quickly abandoned her family. Janie and Nanny then proceed to live with the Washburn family, along with four other white kids, and did not realize she was black until she sports a photograph of herself, and out of shock she says " Aw,aw! Ah'm colored"(9). Because of the families past, all Nanny wants is for Janie to feel treasured and secure. Nanny wants Janie to immediately get married, and she tells her that by saying " Yeah, Janie, youse got yo' womanhood on yuh. So ah mout ez well tell yuh whut Ah been savin' up for uh spell. Ah wants to see you married right away" (12). Janie immediately responds by saying " Me, married? Naw, Nanny, no ma'am "(12). Logan Killicks, an old, unattractive farmer is the person that Nanny hopes so desperately for Jani...

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