The Yellow Mule as a Symbol

Filed under: Uncategorized — hurston at 9:53 pm on Sunday, November 27, 2005

One thing that really stood out to me in Chapter 6 was Matt Bonner’s yellow mule.  I saw a huge connection between the mule and Janie’s situations.  First of all, it is interesting that Hurston chose to make it a yellow mule.  Yellow is usually a reference to light-skinned African-Americans like Janie.  Also Nanny earlier referred to women as the “mules of the world.”  So, I connected the yellow mule to Janie.

When Janie was married to Logan, he forced her to work and treated her like a beast of burden.  This could be paralleled to Bonner’s treatment of the mule. Then, when Janie married Jody he allowed her to live a life of ease, basically as a trophy wife.  Since Jody lured Janie in with his big ambitions and money, in a way he “bought” her affection and took her away from Logan.  He also bought the mule away from Matt Bonner and made it his own.

Finally, the mule became a centerpiece of the town and the subject of many legends and tall tales.  Janie, as the mayor’s wife, is also a major symbol in the town and is often in the spotlight.

Although this connection is clear, one thing I don’t understand is why Jody would not let Janie go to the mule’s funeral.  If the mule symbolizes Janie, why did Hurston choose to let is die and get eaten by vultures?

Perhaps the mule’s death could be a symbolic freeing of Janie’s soul.  Maybe one part of her died with the mule and she is now ready to stand up to Jody.

-Ariel



4 Comments

89

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 4:00 am

Ariel I agree with most of your blog except for the end when you state that a part of Janie died with the mule and she is now ready to stand up to Jody. I believe that yes it changed her in some ways but I don’t think Janie was ever able to fully stand up to Jody. Yes, at the end of chapter 8 Janie tells everything she has felt the last couple of years to Jody, but it is not an equal fight or conversation. Jody is weak and about to die showing me that Janie is only able “stand up” for herself when Jody (or any other person) is uable to rise to her level. But, I agree with your connection with Janie and the mule. Looking back at the chapter a quote stands out to me, “Lum found him under the big tree on his rawbony back with all four feet up in the air. That wasn’t natural and it didn’t look right.. ” (Hurston 55). I believe this quote makes the connection clearer because like the mule, Janie can be found under a tree lying on her back looking up at the sky. Could this foreshadow the end of the book and Janie’s future? Or her relationship with Jodie?

Monica

113

   hurston

November 29, 2005 @ 5:21 pm

An interesting tie in I found in the mule scene isthat Hurston has the vultures speak. This is a clear folkloric element, but it is the only instance of animals speaking that I can recall in the book. I think another interesting connection that can be found is between the vultures and Death. Janie thinks that: “She is liable to find a feath from [Death’s] wings lying in her yard any day now” (Hurston 80). Death is also described as living in a high, flat house where he could watch over the world, much like the trees that the vultures live in. He also “Stands wathcful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come” (Hurston 80). Much like the when the vultuers are about to eat the mule, before they can commence “a messenger was sent to the ruler in a tree where he sat” (Hurston 58). The meaning I glean from this connection is that death watches over us all, just waiting. Life goes on anyway. Furhtermore, that we all the same before death, man and mule alike. Once the ownership is relieved, Janie begins slowly have her thoughts towards her own independance. I think the mule dying under the tree is foreshadowing of the end. Both the mule and Janie had been through hard times, and suffered rough periods of ownership. Janie, just like the mule, ends up independant and happy.

Kara Buchan

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