Money Doesn 't Buy Happiness
As the Beatles once sang, “Money can’t buy me love.” These words ring true for both real and fictional characters alike. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston, Janie learns that money does not in fact buy happiness or love. She discovers the morals of wealth with the three men she was married to. Janie was 16 years old when her Nanny gave her away to a man named Logan Killicks because he had 60 acres and was considered wealthy. Her grandmother wanted her to marry him for protection and also because she knew he could provide for Janie. But the theme of the love not buying happiness rings true because first, Janie never truly loved Logan, second, Janie’s second marriage to Jody also did not …show more content…
Janie ran away from Logan to be with Jody, because she hoped for a happy ending. She thought that maybe Jody could give her what Logan had not. Jody bought Janie food and candy. He seemed to want to spoil her when the narrator said, “On the train the next day, Joe didn 't make many speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies” (34). When Jody and Janie arrived in Eatonville he planned for great change. Jody goes to captain Eaton to buy land. This shows that Jody has money to spend. When jody and janie arrive in Eatonville. two townsmen were talking about how jody buys 200 acres of land, “a man dat ups and buys two hundred acres uh land at one whack and pays cash for it” (38). Jody has a lot of money and the townspeople can see …show more content…
He would be more of her boss than her husband. Janie was married to Jody for 20 years. Within those 20 years Janie never found happiness – she hopelessly seeked for it with him, but she never found it. Hurston in the book said, “ she got nothing from Jody except what money could buy, and she was giving away what she didn’t value” (76). Jody gave Janie all that money could buy, but all she wanted was to be loved and she wanted happiness, that was what she seeked for. Jody only put her down because she was a woman. He was also very jealous of the other men looking at her because Janie had long hair and was not fully black. Jody made her wear a head-rag saying that her hair should not be out when she was at the store. For example, Hurston writes that, “Her hair was NOT going to show in the store” (55). Janie does not know why Jody really wants her hair up, but Jody wanted things his way and everybody could tell that by the way he treated his wife. Because Jody was wealthy, he wanted things to look a certain way, including his wife. He had a reputation that he wanted to keep because he had money. Since Janie was way younger than Jody he would tell her to dress as if she was really old, “ you ougta throw somethin’ over yo’ shoulders befo’ you go outside. You ain’t no young pullet no mo’. You’se uh ole hen now” (77). Just because Jody was getting older he
As the Beatles once sang, “Money can’t buy me love.” These words ring true for both real and fictional characters alike. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston, Janie learns that money does not in fact buy happiness or love. She discovers the morals of wealth with the three men she was married to. Janie was 16 years old when her Nanny gave her away to a man named Logan Killicks because he had 60 acres and was considered wealthy. Her grandmother wanted her to marry him for protection and also because she knew he could provide for Janie. But the theme of the love not buying happiness rings true because first, Janie never truly loved Logan, second, Janie’s second marriage to Jody also did not …show more content…
Janie ran away from Logan to be with Jody, because she hoped for a happy ending. She thought that maybe Jody could give her what Logan had not. Jody bought Janie food and candy. He seemed to want to spoil her when the narrator said, “On the train the next day, Joe didn 't make many speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies” (34). When Jody and Janie arrived in Eatonville he planned for great change. Jody goes to captain Eaton to buy land. This shows that Jody has money to spend. When jody and janie arrive in Eatonville. two townsmen were talking about how jody buys 200 acres of land, “a man dat ups and buys two hundred acres uh land at one whack and pays cash for it” (38). Jody has a lot of money and the townspeople can see …show more content…
He would be more of her boss than her husband. Janie was married to Jody for 20 years. Within those 20 years Janie never found happiness – she hopelessly seeked for it with him, but she never found it. Hurston in the book said, “ she got nothing from Jody except what money could buy, and she was giving away what she didn’t value” (76). Jody gave Janie all that money could buy, but all she wanted was to be loved and she wanted happiness, that was what she seeked for. Jody only put her down because she was a woman. He was also very jealous of the other men looking at her because Janie had long hair and was not fully black. Jody made her wear a head-rag saying that her hair should not be out when she was at the store. For example, Hurston writes that, “Her hair was NOT going to show in the store” (55). Janie does not know why Jody really wants her hair up, but Jody wanted things his way and everybody could tell that by the way he treated his wife. Because Jody was wealthy, he wanted things to look a certain way, including his wife. He had a reputation that he wanted to keep because he had money. Since Janie was way younger than Jody he would tell her to dress as if she was really old, “ you ougta throw somethin’ over yo’ shoulders befo’ you go outside. You ain’t no young pullet no mo’. You’se uh ole hen now” (77). Just because Jody was getting older he