In our group discussions on Tuesday, we talked a little bit about the age difference between Janie and her men. Poor Janie was married off to an older farmer at the age of sixteen. Clearly, unprepared for marriage life, Janie was childish and naive. However, she was quick to leave her husband when this new stranger, whom she later calls Jody, appears and sweeps her off her feet. Yet, again, he is much older. After twenty years of marriage, Janie is close to her forties and Jody is in his fifties. He dies and leaves Janie with the store and status in the town.
In Janie's first marriage, Logan spoils her. Because she's young and inexperienced, he does everything for her: provides for her, takes care of her, etc. In the end, he gets fed up with her. Well, honestly it's not her fault. She is, after all, only a teenager and had no say in the marriage in the first place.
At least her second marriage lasted longer. Twenty years is a long time, and although Jody was getting older and older, Janie remained faithful. Janie being a lot younger than Jody, I believe, sparked him to make her feel old as well. Maybe he was jealous of her youth and beauty. Maybe he regrets marrying a woman much younger than him. Again--Jainie being so young--he was the one who initiated the marriage in the first place. It wasn't Janie's fault that she was so young. He chose her! In the end, he died...because he was sick...because of his age.
In Janie's third marriage with Tea Cake, we see the age difference still there but differently. Tea Cake is the younger one, and much younger than Janie. And Janie, being older and already married twice, comes with a lot of experience. Now she will be able to understand some of her husbands' frustrations with being someone who is younger. For example, her response to Tea Cake "fooling around" with a girl was understandable (130). Tea Cake should have acted wiser: instead of playing along, he should have responded like a married man would. Also the issue of him taking Janie's money turned out well. i felt like his young mind led him to take the money and spend, but how he got it back was bizarre. I've been so used to Janie being with older men that young Tea Cake's actions always catch me by surprise.
I liked your comment about Jody being jealous of Janie's youth an beauty. I agree also with your comment about Tea Cake surprising you because I felt like he would o something expected an then turn around and doing something unexpected. As you read on you'll find that he is the one that makes the decision to stay and not leave with his friends when the hurricane is coming. On the other hand he is the one that helps Janie as she is attacked by the dog and as she is being swept away by the waters.
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