I found the character of Janie very unique in that I have respect for her past and am annoyed by the decisions that she makes. In the beginning, when she explains to her friend how she found out she wasn't white was very interesting. Of course Janie was unaware of it because she was raised in a white household. Furthermore, her relationship with her grandmother is just as interesting. Although I could see that Nanny, the grandmother, truly cares for her granddaughter, fear seems to drive her decisions. For example, she gives Janie to a much older man, Killicks, to be married because he is decently well off. Janie, young and naive, agrees thinking that eventually she'll love this man. But unfortunately, she never does. I find it hard to believe how quickly Janie gave in to marrying Killicks. Yes, after a while being married and all, she realizes she still doesn't love him, but it's too late. She is already married. So what does she do? She leaves her husband to marry another man! Wow, she sure decides quickly. She does weigh the options, however, it doesn't take long. Also, her new husband Joe seems like the kind of man that can easily persuade people, so in some ways, I can see why Janie agreed to marry him. Despite this, I must bear in mind the era in which Janie was living in. It wasn't easy for a Black female like her to be living in a time like that, something that I admire from her and her grandmother.
Surprisingly, I was able to read this quickly. Maybe because I have been exposed to so much written Black English that I'm getting used to it. I also realized that as I read this book without thinking too much of the dialect, I was able to understand it as well. With both of these in mind, I enjoyed reading the first five chapters even though I was a little frustrated with Janie. To add, I have never heard of this novel nor the author which is actually exciting for me because it's been a while since I've read a book I have never heard of. I don't know the style of the writer nor what the book is about. I'm looking forward to see if Janie will learn from her decisions.
I found your comment about the choices that she makes are annoying--totally agree! I actually came to love the grandma but also despise her. She takes care of her granddaughter that her daughter left her and wants a good life for her. On the other side Janie is simply a teenager and she wants to marry her off to some gross old guy. I know the grandmother is old and that she knows her granddaughter is beautiful and does not want her to be taken advantage of like her mother but I think she should have found another way to secure her in a different situation that would not lead to a marriage of disaster.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I was also a little upset with Janie's choices and I don't think that she should hate her grandma because she was just looking out for her. I also don't think that Janie should have just let herself get married off though. My biggest frustration was that she was blaming the grandma for her problem. She knew that she did not want to get married. I just think that it is her life and she needed to learn how to make some decisions for herself and take charge instead of letting everyone else run her life. Ultimately it was her fault for not just doing what she wanted to. Granted it did not let us in on the whole complexity of that possibility within the story, but still. She just really needed to take ownership of the things happening in her life.
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