Sudden Beauty and the American Dream Group D

Filed under: Uncategorized — hurston at 6:57 pm on Sunday, November 27, 2005

While reading the poem “November Cotton Flower” by Jean Toomer, a question arises that we feel relates closely with the last scene in chapter 8. This question is: What might this sudden unexpected apperance of beauty symbolize? This question refers to the cotton flower that appears in Winter in the poem, but we also feel this can be applied to Janie’s sudden realization of her own beauty; “The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place. She tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there” (Hurston 83). This quote depicts a sudden unexpected apperance of beauty durring Janie’s metaphorical winter. Janie should be mourning her late husbands death (this symbolizes the winter) but she has grown through life experences and age and comes to realize that although she is no longer young, she is still beautiful. In other words, Joe repressed Janies beauty during their twenty year marriage and only when she was free of him could she see herself as an individual; beautiful in her own right.

All of this relates to the American dream because Lincon’s ultimate lesson to the American public is that one cannot find happiness by trying to gain fame and weath but instead can inspire hope in ones self and hope in others by eliminating prejudice. Janie’s sudden realization of her beauty in this period of mourning relates to the American Dream because she observes that she is important as an individual and can succeed by herself. She is motivated by her own strength and strives not for propriety but for freedom from her decessed husband and his hold on repressing her beauty.

So our final thought on the matter is if it really is unexpected for Janies beauty to shine through in her darkest moments? Or should it be expected to have a glimmer of hope during a metaphorical winter?

Posted by: Monica and Alyssa
(Sorry for the late post! We were both away over break)



2 Comments

73

   hurston

November 27, 2005 @ 8:15 pm

i agree with what monica and alyssa said about how “November Cotton Flower” relates to Their Eyes Were Watching God.” I believe that Jody’s death was a rebirth for Janie. The poem says “Drought fighting soil had caused the soil to take.” I see this as Jody would be the drought fighting down Janie’s soul, the soil. the drought has caused the soil to dry up, much like Jody has caused Janie’s spirit to dry up.

The line “Brown eyes that loved without a trace of fear” reminds me of the way in which Janie loves Tea Cake unconditionally. A big problem in their relationship could be the large age diffrence, or the fact that Jody has just died and he was the Mayor. Many of the townspeople of Eatonville think Janie is greatly disrespecting Jody right after his death. There is also the thought that Tea Cake might only be going after her to take all of her money. But Janie falls into such a deep love with Tea Cake that nothing else matters to her. She is not fearful of the potentially disaterous relationship she is embarking on. She trusts Tea Cake and she loves him.

EMILY DESTEFANO

86

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 2:56 am

I agree with Monica and Alyssa that it seems like Janie is now experiance what she might view as the American dream. The American dream can be seen as many different things, all depending on the person and what they may be trying to get out of life. What Janie seems to view as the American dream is freedom from others, and the abiliy to have a choice, as well as enjoy life and have fun. Now that Jody is dead it seems like Janie will have the chance to do all of this. Jody will no longer be able to restrict Janie or tell he what she can and cant do. This allowing Janie the freedom to make her own decisions. Also, with Janie’s acquaintance to Tea Cake, she now begins to enjoy life and have fun. This would have never been allowed by Jody.
I also agree with Emily when she says that Jody’s death was a rebirth for Janie. Now that Jody has died, she finally realizes that she was constricted by Jody and wasn’t allowed to enjoy life the way she wanted to with him always telling her what to do. As Monica and Alyssa said, Janie now realizes her actual beauty, but she also discovers her freedoms, and abiliyt to enjoy her life.

-Hunter Woron

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