Characters and Characterization

Hurston can realistically paint a picture of the characters that are in her head. We first meet the sitters, who ceaselessly gossip about Janie. While this is the first chapter, I can't help but to judge these characters. They talk about a woman who they barely know, and they scoff when she passes by them without talking. Whereas there are numerous reasons for Janie to act the way she does, the sitters are not open-minded, and they treat her as an outsider. It is true that the town has a different culture compared to Westford, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that the sitters are rather cold and quick to judge. (If this makes me a hypocrite, that's fine too.) Hurston is quite good at making these sitters come alive through their unique dialogue, because I would not have the heart to accuse them of being so critical if Hurston had not made them come alive.

Pheobe, the next character we meet, is a part of the sitters, but also a friend of Janie. She is therefore essentially the connection we have between society and Janie. She tries to bestow a different perspective upon the sitters, and her dialogue with Janie is the only real impression we have of Janie after the first chapter. It does seem as if Pheobe is more connected to Janie than she is to the sitters, because she does attempt to defend Janie. If not for Phoebe, then we would only be seeing Janie from the sitters' point of the view, as an arrogant, removed individual. However, because Huston added in the Pheobe character, we now have a glimpse of what Janie is really like.

Janie seems to be more down to earth compared to how the sitters try to portray her. She is trying to be independent, because after (what I assume to be) the death of Tea Cake, she is moving on. She does not dwell to much about the loss of her husband, and she can will herself to continue living life as it is. She is rather lighthearted and jokes with Pheobe. Again, Hurston's use of dialogue successfully illustrates the character.