It is often said that the truth will set you free, but is freedom always worth it? Janie is battling this dilemma throughout the continuous whirlwind that is her life. In What Janie Found, Janie finds a folder in her father’s filing cabinet that is labeled “H.J.” Inside this folder is a check book that reveals that Janie’s dad has been paying Hannah, Janie’s kidnapper, money four times a year. Since Janie’s dad is in the hospital, she has to decide if she would like to continue to pay Hannah, or cut her off completely. To decide this, Janie travels with her brother and best friend to find Hannah so that she can finally confront Hannah and resolve her opinion of the person that changed her life forever. In Janie Face to Face, Janie goes to …show more content…
college and is finally able to escape the ongoing turmoil of her life with both sets of her parents. While at college, she falls in love with a boy named Michael but later finds out that he is using her for information about her previous kidnapping and does not care for Janie at all. Deeply upset about this she goes back home to her families and her best friend, Reeve. Reeve and Janie swiftly fall for each other and get married almost immediately. Meanwhile, Hannah is searching for Janie to get revenge on her for having that family that she could have had. In this journal I will be predicting Janie’s future with Reeve, questioning Janie’s motives for flying to Colorado, and visualizing Janie and Reeve’s marriage . Janie and Reeve recently broke up due to a major conflict regarding the telling of Janie’s kidnapping story, and Janie is still very angry, but she is beginning to show signs of forgiveness and maybe even something more. I predict that Janie and Reeve will go from being exasperated acquaintances, back to best friends, and eventually regress to boyfriend and girlfriend. Initially, Janie is still resentful of Reeve even though he has apologized profusely and has been begging for forgiveness. She doesn't initiate conversations with him and does her best to avoid physical or emotional contact with him to prevent any imminent conflicts. Later, Janie is asked to be Reeve’s older sister’s wedding party. This means that the pair will have to spend and increasing amount of time together. Reeve considers the increase in contact a blessing because now he has a growing chance of connection with Janie. The increase in contiguity with Janie does help their estranged relationship. After all the wedding planning, Janie begins to introduce extended verbal contact with Reeve such as discussing the possible contents of the “H.J” folder in her father’s office, fond memories from their childhood, and what the future holds for Janie and her multiple families. Janie even goes as far as to invite Reeve on her trip to Colorado to find Hannah. Of course Reeve accepts her invitation because he realizes that their relationship is flourishing, and he hopes to expand their relationship. In Colorado, their connection starts heating up :). Janie looks to Reeve for comfort while in the trialing situation of confronting with her kidnapper. She touches him involuntarily, leans against him, and holds his hand: “Reeve’s hand landed in hers, his fingers taking hold, and the closeness of their hands felt good” (Cooney, Caroline B. What Janie Found 124). After the steady escalation of connection, the development slowly plateaus. Based on the evolution of Janie and Reeve’s relationship throughout What Janie Found, I believe that their affinity will continue to expand and transform from enemies to lovers. Janie wanted to go to Colorado for various reasons.
The first reason for Janie’s excursion is that she wants to come face to face with Hannah. Hannah has caused Janie, and her two families, to suffer immeasurably over the last 15 years. Hannah crushed her parents when she left to join a cult, she agonized the Spring family when she abducted Janie in the mall, and she battered Janie now that she knows the truth about what her life could have been. Because Hannah had caused so much damage in her lifetime, Janie wanted to find her so that she can understand why. Why Hannah left her family, why Hannah took Janie, and why she never came back or apologized :). Janie also partly went to Colorado to see if she can find Hannah. Besides talking to Hannah, Janie wanted to look at her. She wanted to see how she lived and what she looked like. Janie wanted to be able to put a face to the name that she had cursed so many times. Secretly, Janie wants Hannah to be in misery and suffering that way Janie can feel as though she got what she deserved. Another reason for Janie’s trip, though not as significant, was to see her brother. Janie’s brother, Stephen, goes to college in Colorado. Stephan rarely makes trips back to see his family and is quite separated from his family. Janie and her siblings, especially Brian, miss Staphan alot, and it would be wonderful to catch up with him: “Brian adored Stephen, and missed him terribly” (Cooney, Caroline B. What Janie Found 85). Colorado provides …show more content…
many opportunities for Janie to fulfill her desires and curiosities. Janie and Reeve’s wedding is a wonderful event that is described in vivid detail.
In Janie Face to Face, Caroline B. Cooney describes Janie’s dynamic wedding gown and the bridesmaid’s vibrant dresses. Janie’s dress is shimmery, with a hundred silk-covered buttons following the contours of her back. At her neckline, there is a double row of ribbons with small, scalloped cap sleeves resting on the sides. The dress hugs her tightly along the bodice and flares right below the waist. The satin skirt of the gown flows with every move she makes. The bridesmaids dresses are almost just as elegant. It glows a soft pink hue. The ruching and ruffles gather at the waist, attractively accentuating the delicate bodies of the bridal party :). The sleeves form thin lines of silk that frame the girls’ elegant features. The dress brushes the ground and covers all but the tips of the bridesmaids’ black shoes. The chapel that holds the wedding is also impressively described. The church is brimming with life and excitement for the day to come. The delicate white and pink ribbons lining the pews add a softness to the animated spirit in the church. The flowers throughout the chapel perfectly matched the bouquet that Janie lovingly held in her hand. The flowers were just as Janie pictured in her dreams: “The florist passed out the bouquets. Hers was beautiful. Just what Janie would have chosen if she had chosen” (Cooney, Caroline B. Janie Face to Face 332). Every aspect and detail of the wedding
was perfect and utterly delightful. By predicting Janie’s growing relationship with Reeve, questioning Janie’s desire to go to Colorado on a whim, and visualizing Janie and Reeve’s wedding, I have been able to get a deeper understanding of Janie Johnson in the books What Janie Found and Janie Face to Face. Finding out the truth is often the hard part, but sometimes the aftermath of the discovery of reality can be harder. Truth can hurt, and the internal freedom that comes with validity can be overpowered by the distress that comes with it.
After a year of pampering, Logan becomes demanding and rude, he went as far to try to force Janie to do farm work. It was when this happened that Janie decided to take a stand and run away with Joe. At this time, Janie appears to have found a part of her voice and strong will. In a way, she gains a sense of independence and realizes she has the power to walk away from an unhealthy situation and does not have to be a slave to her own husband. After moving to Eatonville and marrying Joe, Janie discovers that people are not always who they seem to be.
2) Hannah tells stories of her “other” life in which she attends school and looks forward to the weekends. As Chaya, her new friends are again shocked by the fact that she-a girl-attends school. Hannah explains that he...
In the beginning of the novel, Janie attempts to find her voice and identity; the task, of harnessing
The beginning of Janie’s marriage to Joe shows promise and adventure, something that young Janie is quickly attracted to. She longs to get out of her loveless marriage to Logan Killicks and Joe’s big dreams captivate Janie. Once again she hopes to find the true love she’s always dreamed of. Joe and Janie’s life is first blissful. He gives her whatever she wants and after he becomes the mayor of a small African American town called Eatonville, they are the most respected couple in town. Joe uses his newfound power to control Janie. When she is asked to make a speech at a town event, she can’t even get out a word before Joe denies her the privilege. He starts making her work in the store he opens and punishes her for any mistakes she makes. He enjoys the power and respect her gets when o...
Janie’s character undergoes a major change after Joe’s death. She has freedom. While the town goes to watch a ball game Janie meets Tea Cake. Tea Cake teaches Janie how to play checkers, hunt, and fish. That made Janie happy. “Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play. That was even nice. She looked him over and got little thrills from every one of his good points” (Hurston 96). Tea Cake gave her the comfort of feeling wanted. Janie realizes Tea Cake’s difference from her prior relationships because he wants her to become happy and cares about what she likes to do. Janie tells Pheoby about moving away with Tea Cake and Pheoby tells her that people disapprove of the way she behaves right after the death of her husband. Janie says she controls her life and it has become time for her to live it her way. “Dis ain’t no business proposition, and no race after property and titles. Dis is uh love game. Ah done lived Grandma’s way, now Ah means tuh live mine” (Hurston 114). Janie becomes stronger as she dates Tea Cake because she no longer does for everyone else. Janie and Tea Cake decided to move to the Everglades, the muck. One afternoon, a hurricane came. The hurricane symbolizes disaster and another change in Janie’s life. “Capricious but impersonal, it is a concrete example of the destructive power found in nature. Janie, Tea Cake, and their friends can only look on in terror as the hurricane destroys the
Janie's outlook on life stems from the system of beliefs that her grandmother, Nanny instills in her during life. These beliefs include how women should act in a society and in a marriage. Nanny and her daughter, Janie's mother, were both raped and left with bastard children, this experience is the catalyst for Nanny’s desire to see Janie be married of to a well-to-do gentleman. She desires to see Janie married off to a well to do gentleman because she wants to see that Janie is well cared for throughout her life.
Through her three marriages, the death of her one true love, and proving her innocence in Tea Cake’s death, Janie learns to look within herself to find her hidden voice. Growing as a person from the many obstacles she has overcome during her forty years of life, Janie finally speaks her thoughts, feelings and opinions. From this, she finds what she has been searching for her whole life, happiness.
Janie's first marriage was to Logan Killicks when she was just a young girl at the age of seventeen. Janie?s wardrobe mainly consisted of aprons and work clothes. Logan was very demanding and controlling over Janie, he made her work in the field and cook all day. Most of her time was spent cooking and she almost always wore her apron. ?That made her feel the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road an walked on??(page 32). Janie threw off her apron while she was leaving Logan, symbolizing how she was no longer under his control and she was now back on her journey for love.
Janie’s life with Joe fulfilled a need -- she had no financial worries and was more than set for life. She had a beautiful white home, a neat lawn and garden, a successful husband, and lots of cash. Everything was clean, almost too clean. A sense of restraint is present in this setting, and this relates to the work as a whole due to the fact that this is the epitome of unhappiness for Janie.
As the novel begins, Janie walks into her former hometown quietly and bravely. She is not the same woman who left; she is not afraid of judgment or envy. Full of “self-revelation”, she begins telling her tale to her best friend, Phoeby, by looking back at her former self with the kind of wistfulness everyone expresses when they remember a time of childlike naïveté. She tries to express her wonderment and innocence by describing a blossoming peach tree that she loved, and in doing so also reveals her blossoming sexuality. To deter Janie from any trouble she might find herself in, she was made to marry an older man named Logan Killicks at the age of 16. In her naïveté, she expected to feel love eventually for this man. Instead, however, his love for her fades and she beco...
Instead, Janie becomes the center of attention and her hopes become the main focus. By doing this, the focus of the story changes making Janie the only focus and the inclusion of the other characters never reaches closure, making their expectati... ... middle of paper ... ... an Diego, 1 Apr. 2005. Web.
That same night, I walked by Hannah’s cell and I saw her staring down at a newspaper clip out of a young teenager shaking hands with another man. I recognized that the boy was the man who visited today. Could he be Hannah’s son? If he is, then why hadn’t he visit her all this time? Hannah brushed her fingers across the books on her shelf, and took out a sheet of paper and started writing in it. This time, her eyes turned grey and they were empty, but free.
Later that day she goes over to her friends house Reeve (neighbor), and helps him rake leaves. She has always liked him, and they have always been close. He then leans in and kisses her out of nowhere. After this, he runs off inside and leaves her outside in the pile of leaves. She then sleeps everything off and wakes up the next morning. She then has the idea to skip school. So, Janie and Reeve decide to skip school and drive to New Jersey. New Jersey was where she was taken/kidnapped from the mall. She then realizes that she must have been kidnapped from another family, because no one in her family (her mom or grandparents) has that kind of red hair. So she looks up the last name that she had on the missing child poster. She then finds out who her real family is and tries to see them in New Jersey, but she has mixed feelings again. One side of her is saying that they haven’t seen their baby in close to 12 years and need to see her. The other half of her is thinking, they probably moved on and besides I already have grown a bond with my “grandparents.” Having those mixed thoughts, she decides that she is going to write a letter to her real “family.” She writes the letter and then loses it.And as if it wasn’t bad enough, she lost it at school. So on top of the fact that someone might just go mail it for her, there was also a possibility for her business to be spread across the school
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked by death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then act and do things accordingly.”
The ballroom at the Yacht Club was decorated with deep red roses and black ribbons, the perfect combination of colors for a winter wedding. Long, tall windows covered the walls to let all the guests experience the view of the nearby ocean. Each round table was decorated with a long black underskirt cloth, a shorter bright white tablecloth, with each placemat arranged around a beautiful vase full of red roses. The wooden dance floor, full of chairs for the ceremony, took up half of the room, while the other half was occupied with 15 round tables and one rectangular Head Table. As the guests walked up the stairs to our ballroom, they would see a guest book that was decorated with pictures and captions and ready for their signatures.