Janie and the Porch
Janie and the PorchZora Neale Hurston parallels the porch to Janie�s
expressions; how she feels both emotionally and physically
in the different stages of Janie�s life in her novel Their
Eyes Were Watching God. Zora Neale Hurston was born in
Eatonville Florida, the same place where the novel takes
place. Hurston was a feminist writer who wrote during the
Harlem renaissance period. She has traveled to many places
and her fictional and factual accounts of black heritage are
unparalleled. She uses the main character, Janie, to
illustrate the oppressions of women and express her views on
how women were treated.
In the beginning stages of the novel the porch scene is
used frequently. Women of the town congregate on the porch
in the evenings to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere and gossip.
The porch is used to express comfort and well being. As a
young child Janie is guided and comforted by her grandmother
who raised her. You can see this in Janie�s grandmothers�
want for the best for Janie from the quote on page 13;
�Dat�s what makes me skeered. You don�t mean no harm. You
don�t even know where harm is at. Ah�m ole now. Ah can�t
be always guidin� yo� feet from harm and danger. Ah wants
to see you married right away.� These are some of the best
times in Janie�s life, but all good things do not last
forever and she will soon pay her dues.
At and early age Janie is married to a man named Logan
Killicks, the man her grandmother has chosen for her. There
are no porch scenes during this stage in Janie�s life.
Janie feels empty and very unsatisfied with Logan. The
porch in this stage of the novel represents the things that
Janie wants and feels that she desperately needs. Logan
offers little or none of the emotional or physical things
that Janie needs. By the quote on page 25; �If Ah kin haul
de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be
able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me
�bout choppin� no wood nohow. she�d grab dat ax and sling
chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten.�, Logan
wants Janie to be more than a housewife.
Janie seeks the love and caring of another man. A man
by the name of Joe Starks marries her. This part of Janie�s
life is most likely the worst. The porch is controlled by
men. The men on the porch are harsh towards each other and
often argue and fight. The porch during this stage of the
novel illustrates male dominance and the oppression of
women. Janie is far from happy with Joe. She is told to
stay out of the gossip on the porch. Joe does not even
allow her to congregate with the townspeople on the porch at
all. Joe just bosses Janie around and has almost total
control over her. He dominates her like he does the town
and puts many restriction on Janie. Janie is physically and
emotionally scared by Joe�s actions. She may always regret
being with a man such as him.
Janie finds her emotional and physical needs from the
man Tea Cake whom which she marries. Tea Cake and Janie are
Hurston�s view of an ideal relationship. This is the period
in Janie�s life she is most happy and comfortable. Janie
does not congregate on the porch with the other women
because the other women despise her. She does not need
their rumors and antics, she is a grown woman and all she
really needs is Tea Cake. Tea Cake does it all for Janie,
everything that Logan and Joe could not do.
Life as a child was good for Janie because she had the
love and guidance of her grandmother. Once on her own
though, it took many years to find the love and comfort that
she needed. Similar to the way it was when she was a child.
After years of searching for a man who could give her what
she wanted she succeeded. Janie did not need to worry about
what the man wanted, they had everything they needed. She
had to do the work and make many sacrifices in doing so.
Zora Neale Hurston may even be using Janie�s life as a
symbol for the struggle of women striving to be equal to
men. It just takes time, and only time will tell.