Janie
Is Janie the hero or the maiden?
The maiden archetype is a person whose traits and actions reflect purity, innocence, and naïveté. The maiden is normally somebody’s love interest and she represents what her partner values most. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, There Eyes Were Watching God, Janie embodies purity, innocence and naivete.
Janie first shows representation of purity through her spiritual connection with nature. Janie takes solace in her ability to relish in the organic sanctuaries of the world and that makes her as pure as the environment she surrounds herself in. Janie truly exhibits her purity when she is ditching chores: “She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her” (Hurston 24). In this situation Janie is connecting with her environment unlike most people can. Hurston gives her the ability to spiritually connect with the pure untamed environment around her. Janie’s purity lies with the pure, untouched, and natural locations of the world.
Although, Janie moves through males rather quickly she does represent a form of innocence. Throughout the book she is in constant need of guidance. She rarely takes the time to figure things out for herself. Even if she does not take the advice of others she is in desperate need of direction. Her innocence is truly revealed when it is recognized by other characters in the book. After Joe dies Ike Green tells her, “You wants to be keerful ‘bout who you marry, Mis’ Starks. Dese strange men runnin’ heah tryin’ tuh take advantage of yo’ condition” (Hurston 140). Even when she is a grown woman she is getting advice from people. Provided that she’s recently single and Ike Green might just be looking to be getting the upper hand on the other men, she is still getting advice from someone. Her innocence is very evident when other people feel that they must act on
The maiden archetype is a person whose traits and actions reflect purity, innocence, and naïveté. The maiden is normally somebody’s love interest and she represents what her partner values most. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, There Eyes Were Watching God, Janie embodies purity, innocence and naivete.
Janie first shows representation of purity through her spiritual connection with nature. Janie takes solace in her ability to relish in the organic sanctuaries of the world and that makes her as pure as the environment she surrounds herself in. Janie truly exhibits her purity when she is ditching chores: “She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her” (Hurston 24). In this situation Janie is connecting with her environment unlike most people can. Hurston gives her the ability to spiritually connect with the pure untamed environment around her. Janie’s purity lies with the pure, untouched, and natural locations of the world.
Although, Janie moves through males rather quickly she does represent a form of innocence. Throughout the book she is in constant need of guidance. She rarely takes the time to figure things out for herself. Even if she does not take the advice of others she is in desperate need of direction. Her innocence is truly revealed when it is recognized by other characters in the book. After Joe dies Ike Green tells her, “You wants to be keerful ‘bout who you marry, Mis’ Starks. Dese strange men runnin’ heah tryin’ tuh take advantage of yo’ condition” (Hurston 140). Even when she is a grown woman she is getting advice from people. Provided that she’s recently single and Ike Green might just be looking to be getting the upper hand on the other men, she is still getting advice from someone. Her innocence is very evident when other people feel that they must act on