Journal #4

3 Patterns

Hair- this could be an indication of the feelings Janie has at the time, or the power she has.
In chapter 5, the man declares that Janie is only pretty due to her long hair. (pg38) This could insinuate that her hair has some power over others, especially men, and is therefore important.
At the end of chapter 5, they mention that Janie keeps her hair tied up in the store. (pg 49) During this portion of the book, it seems like she keeps her hair down while enjoying herself, and then ties it up when she is working.
On page 55, Joe commands Janie to tie up her hair around the store. Joe's reluctance to have other men feel or see the hair means that it is important to him.
Daisy has long, almost Caucasian hair, and it gives her a beauty that the men all gravitate to. (pg 68)


Speech and power
Hicks complains that Joe speaks to uneducated people with "books in his mouth." (pg 49) This seems to mean that Joe does not fit in with the others, and uses his sophisticated and "powerful" language to persuade or manipulate others.
Joe says he wants to be a "big voice" and that Janie will be powerful too. (pg 46) The reference to voice could have some impact in that Joe is a very confident speaker, and will be powerful.
On page 54, Joe "didn't want her talking after such trashy people," showing that he believes that speech and power go hand in hand.
Janie make an eloquent speech about the mule to the people on the porch, and the others declare that she is a born orator. (pg 58)
Janie eventually learns to "hush" when around Joe. (pg 71) The silence could represent her finally accepting her lower status.

Land
Captain Eaton has all the land necessary to make the town, and he is white. (pg 37) The power held by this man transfers over to Joe when he buys the land.
Later in the novel, in the muck, Tea Cake doesn't own the land, which still makes Janie just as happy as when she had lots of land with Joe.
In chapter 2, Janie is told to go live with Logan, who has 60 acres of land. (pg 21) Janie's grandma thinks this land and wealth will help Janie live a better life, when in fact it doesn't.
At the beginning of her tale, Janie says that she lived on the white people's land, and she was perfectly happy there. All the evidence points to the fact that when Janie owns the land, she is unhappy.