Janie Mae Crawford's Life

Prominent African American author Ta-Nehisi Coates once said, “As an African-American, we stand on the shoulders of people who fought despite not seeing victories in their lifetime or even in their children's lifetime or even in their grandchildren's lifetime.” Throughout Janie Mae Crawford’s lifetime, she has endured many challenges, made multiple sacrifices, and learned important lessons about racism and love throughout her quest. Although she never found what she was looking for throughout her journey from an immature teen to a self-thinking woman, she has discovered peace within herself and embraced spiritualism over materialism. At the beginning of her story, Janie was unsure of how she was ever going to live her life once Nanny couldn't …show more content…
Using his charming speech, he entices Janie that he will use his wealth and power to get her everything that she could possibly dream of. However, this type of manipulation caused Janie her free will since she was constantly physically beaten and verbally intimated when working at the store with Jody. As a result, Janie released her a kept-in anger for the very first time by saying that when Jody pulls "down [his] britches, [he] look lak de change uh life, (pg.79)" showing that her interest in Jody has been diminished, marking her independence from his unending mistreatment. This represents the current attitudes of many black women at the time when they were struggling for more rights involving their personal freedom. In fact, once Jody has passed away, Janie reflected that "the young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place, (pg. 87)" symbolizing her understanding that independence from marriage is the main goal that she is striving for throughout her journey. In conclusion, Janie's experience with Jody during her time in Eatonville mirrors the times when women were struggling to achieve self-determination in their