Essay On Janie's First Husband In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Logan Killicks, Janie’s first husband, depicts black men’s traditional expectations of their wives. Janie goes into the marriage with the expectation that “she would love Logan after they were married … Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant”(Hurston, 21). This is the ideal in her mind because Janie just doesn’t want to feel “lonely anymore.” (Hurston, 21). Logan has a very different idea in mind. Logan only sees her as a spoiled child who must learn to be a farm wife. His “fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood no how. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You[Janie] done been spoilt rotten” (Hurston, 26). Janie is not his first wife, she is her own woman yet Logan holds on to the past because it would be more “beneficial” to him if Janie did act like his first wife. As a

black man, Logan wants Janie to pick up his slack and do what he says but Janie was taught how to sit on the porch like a white woman by her Nanny.
Janie realizes that sitting on the porch is not what she wants during her life with Joe Starks(Jody).

She realizes that it is a reality that others want from her. Jody wants to be a “Big man” and create his own all black town. This entire design is fueled by Jody’s desire to have the power “white people” have. This influences his expectations of Janie. These expectations parallel Nanny and even Grandmother’s expectations. Janie is to be beautiful, respectful, and willing to do her husband’s bidding at any time. She is not to have her own will. Janie has been taught all her life to sit on the porch and look pretty and that is exactly why Jody wants her as his wife. The key word here is his. When someone else touches Janie’s hair her most defining feature he exploits his authority. “He ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store. That was all. She was there for him to look at, not those others” (Hurston, 55). That was all to the interaction. Janie does not get a say, she does what Jody says. She does this because that is what is expected of her but it slowly eats away at

her.
Jody is very focused on how Janie is perceived. He will not even allow Janie to indulge in porch conversation. “Janie loved the conversation and sometimes she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge. He didn’t want her talking after such trashy people. ‘You’se Mrs. Mayor Starks, Janie. I god, Ah can’t see what uh woman uh yo’ stability would want tuh be treasurin’ all dat gum-grease from folks dat don’t even own de house dey sleep in’ ” (Hurston, 54). Jody makes this assumption without ever stopping to think that Janie might want to partake in the banter. Her life consists of being on display for Jody. He wants to be the biggest man he can be and to do that he needs a beautiful wife who does his every bidding. This all falls apart when Janie finally decides to stand up for herself.