Through chapters 2 and 3, Janie's Nanny is developed as a character who influenced Janie's perspective on life as well as her life in general. Janie reveals her troubling past with her parents, and the fact that Nanny was the one person who actually took care of her. Nanny recognizes that she is the one person Janie can count on in her life, and all that Nanny wants for Janie is a successful life. Nanny's life as a slave gave her the perspective that what makes a successful life is financial security, respectability, and personal pride. These values do not line up with Janie's values of independence and a desire to experience the world. However, Janie learns to respect her grandmother for all the effort she has taken to try to give Janie a good life.
When Nanny sees Janie kissing Johnny Taylor, she is angry with Janie for not acting like a "woman". Nanny wants Janie to be married (to a man who is well off) and act settled instead of being frivolous and kissing boys over gateposts. It is this moment when Janie begins to understand her Nanny's values, because she is angered that her grandmother is trying to set her up for marriage already without taking into account love.
"Mah ole head ain't gray enough. Mah back ain't bowed enough to suit yuh!" (14)
"The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, but Janie didn't know how to tell Nanny that."(14)
Janie's own dreams and desires are not taken into consideration by Nanny, but Nanny is growing old and is frusturated with Janie that she cant see how hard Nanny works to try to ensure that Janie will be okay when Nanny is dead. Nanny loves Janie very much, and yet she and Janie cannot truly understand each other because Janie feels free and wants to live her own life without thinking, while Nanny has lived the life of a slave and doesn't understand girls looking for love and giving into desires.
Nanny shows her love for Janie when, after striking out at Janie out of pure frustration, she takes Janie into her lap and tries to explain to Janie why she acts the way she does and why she wants to see Janie have a secure life. "Mah daily prayer now is tuh let dese golden moments rolls on a few days longer till Ah see you safe in life." (15) Nanny has sacrificed a lot to keep Janie safe and now her only wish is for Janie to find security before Nanny dies. Nanny never wants to see Janie alone, which is why she is so desperate to see Janie married.
"Every tear you drop squeezes a cup uh blood outa mah heart. Ah got tuh try and do for you befo' mah head is cold." (15) This descriptive quote from Nanny characterizes her personality as a caring woman who loves her granddaughter without question and who has seen children left behind but will not let her granddaughter be forgotten. Nanny may be harsh at times, for she has experienced life in a way that has hardened her disposition, but she would give the world to Janie if only it would guarentee Janie safety and a good living.
Nanny believes a suitable marriage that will benefit Janie should come over love and that Janie will learn to love her husband. This shows that Nanny is not a woman who believes in romance, but she is a black woman who believes in marriages arranged so that each person is respectful of the other and life is able to carry on. Nanny is very down to earth. She speaks her mind and does not act well to people disagreeing with her own opinions. Nanny has a distinct view of how people should act and is full of pride for her heritage and for Janie.
Janie learns respect from Nanny and she gains pride for herself. Janie learns about people acting in another person's best interest even if there may be disagreement and misunderstanding.
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