Janie's Internal and External Conflicts

Over the first ten chapters, Janie’s main conflict is with Joe. What begins as a seemingly good decision turns into a huge mistake for Janie. When she first meets Joe and decides to run off with him, she feels liberated from her lackluster life with Logan. She dreams of the change and adventure that a life with Joe would bring but soon realizes that Joe isn’t exactly who she thought he was. He isn’t her liberator, but rather a husband that seeks her submission. Time and time again, Joe suppresses Janie’s voice and independence, the two most precious things to her. The first instance is when Joe becomes mayor and Janie is asked to say a few words. Instead of encouraging her, Joe says “‘Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ’bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home’” (43). While she is clearly upset after hearing this, Janie slaps a smile on her face and pretends to be okay with it all. However, Joe only gets more controlling as their marriage goes on. He forces her to maintain his store, and demands that she tie a cloth around her hair when he sees other men looking. He insults her. He goes to all extremes to assert his power and to make sure she lives by his rules, including that of physical abuse. One day, he finally pushes her over the edge, and she strikes back. “Ah’m uh woman every inch of me, and Ah know it. Dat’s uh whole lot more’n you kin say. [...] Humph! Talkin’ ’bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life” (79). Low blow it may be, but Janie’s standing up for herself definitely freed her. After that day, Joe never regained the strength to abuse her again. Soon afterwards, he died, and for the first time in twenty years, Janie was truly free.

While Janie faces problems with Joe, she also battles herself. Janie grew up with Nanny, who used to be a slave. Because of Nanny’s own upbringing, she wants Janie to grow up and grow old in a life filled with security and comfort, and she tries to instill those values in Janie at a young age. Thus, Janie grows up vacillating between Nanny’s traditional values and her own free spirit outlook on life. Janie attempts to go down the safe and traditional path by marrying Logan prior to Nanny’s death, but she soon grows bored with her mundane life and breaks away from Nanny’s traditional route. She embraces her free spirit side and seeks change and spontaneity in Joe, but as it turns out, he is domineering and abusive. However, she sticks by his side because she feels it is her duty as a wife. Only after Joe’s death is Janie once again liberated and free to embrace her independence. We don’t know what is yet to happen, but as of now, Janie seems to have an ongoing struggle with herself.