Hajir Sailors

AP English
Summer Reading Log

Their Eyes Were Watching God-Chapter 3

While short, this chapter brings the familiarized reader to an understanding with
Neale-Hurston. The educated reader is now at a point where the book has introduced
enough symbols and mysteries that a constant questioning of what is going on is present
within the reader’s mind. Obvious from the first two paragraphs of the book the theme of
men differing from women has dominated this book. The theme of the pear tree in the
last chapter alludes itself to the theme of men vs. women as well. In the third chapter so
is seen, the question of companionship is asked, “Did marriage compel love like the sun
the day”. (Neal Hurston, 21). All that is said in the first paragraph, including the theme
of questions and answers in this chapter is not answered until the last paragraph of the
chapter.
The chapter continues on about Logan Killicks, the man with sixty acres that
Janie is going to go off and marry. Janie doesn’t love this man, but her grandmother says
that one day she will. While Janie is skeptical she follows the will of her grandmother
and continues on with the marriage. The marriage is small, but still everything to eat is in
abundance. After that nothing was in abundance. The house was lackluster, much like
the man, and while forever giving, large hearted and wealthy, neither love nor the feeling
of home was present in the heart of Janie.
Three moons into the marriage Janie goes to visit her grandmother in hope of
being told to leave the relationship because as love is not there yet, it never will be.
However Janie is told that Logan is still kissing her foot and has not yet reached her
mouth, in due time it is only natural for love to straighten up. Nanny tells Janie to come
to her senses, not any black people have 60 acres of land, a house, and money, but Janie
is still stuck on love, and she won’t be coming off of it anytime soon.
After the Grandmother sends Janie on her way, she prays to the lord in hope that
Janie is protected because she knows she is about to go. A month later she has died.
After her grandmother’s death Janie waits a full year and still there is no love, as a pear
tree felt the pollen fly away. And unlike the last chapter where she and her grandmother
thought she had become a woman, she finally does become a woman. All the familiar
has failed her and the hope of the man of her dreams coming down the empty road is now
gone. The final paragraph ties into the beginning paragraph by alluding to the line
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer” (21) with the line, “So Janie
waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time. But when the pollen again
gilded the sun and sifted down on the world she began to stand around the gate and
expect things.” (25) At this point we are a year after the year of the question and the year
of the answer has started; Janie knows the answer.