https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5 sorry it's not in order, I tried so hard but it's just not cooperating with me. en-us 2021-01-22 08:23:56 UTC 2021-01-26 05:18:47 UTC hello@padlet.com ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1113265474 The very first chapter lists a few differences between men and women, leaving me to believe that there will be some sort of division between the male characters and the female characters in the book. 

There is a lot of dialogue in this book, more so than other books I have read. The dialogue is written the way it would be spoken, with the slang and accents written out (for instance: "Ah'm" instead of "I am" and more). This makes it more difficult for me to get through the story, but it also helps me envision each scene better. I can picture their accents and their voices; the details regarding the dialogue definitely makes this book unique.
"Mrs. Sumpkins snorted violently and sucked her teeth." I've never seen a sentence remotely similar to this in any other book I have read. Very unique, indeed!

Update: I hate to be so negative, but the slang in written form is extremely difficult to get through; it takes a good six minutes to read a single paragraph, it seems.]]> 2021-01-22 09:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1113265474 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1117845647 ** these are quotes found from throughout the book **

"De [black] woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been prayin’ fuh it tuh be different wid you." Said by Janie's grandmother to Janie; this quote is genuinely heartbreaking. Nanny was born into slavery and suffered tremendously under the control of her masters. Her daughter was violated by her own teacher, showing the lack of respect people have for black women. I truly hope that Janie won't suffer the way that the women in her family did, but I have a bad feeling that she will experience pain - otherwise, what would the book be about?

 "The bed was no longer a daisy-field for her and Joe to play in. It was a place where she went and laid down when she was sleepy and tired."
Janie has never had that one person to trust and love, and she would do anything to be in a marriage full of love and meaning. She literally left Logan for a man she thought would treat her better, but Joe is even worse than Logan. 

"There was some more good-natured laughter at the expense of women."
I have nothing to say for this one. I'm just tired, and all I'm doing is reading about it. Imagine how Janie must feel.]]> 2021-01-24 04:58:52 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1117845647 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1119963270 Janie just left Logan. I'm surprised; this is the first time I've seen someone actually leave an abusive or failed relationship without glancing behind them. I'm glad that she realized she deserves to be in a relationship with someone that she loves, not someone that she was pressured to be with. However, it is still really early in the book and there is so much room for mistakes to happen. I have a feeling that running off and marrying a man that she barely knows is not the best idea, and I hope that Joe is not worse than Logan. Janie literally has no one in her life. She left her husband, and if things don't work out with Joe (which they most likely won't),  she will literally have no one to turn to. I'm nervous to see how this plays out.]]> 2021-01-25 01:44:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1119963270 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120258839 “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home.” Yup, that confirms it. I don't like Joe, especially since he said those humiliating and degrading words in public.

Also, forcing her to tie up her beautiful hair so other men won't get attracted to her? Saying that she is "his" to look at? If you can't handle a baddie, don't marry one [insert rolling-eyes emoji].

Joe refuses to see things from Janie's perspective. He fails to even attempt to understand why she is upset in their relationship. She doesn't want to be wealthy, she wants to be loved. And Joe just does not care. ]]> 2021-01-25 05:08:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120258839 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120366298 The last I read for this class was Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," and I noticed that in both books, there isn't a single male character that I like. I also noticed that in both books, the main characters are black women. I once heard that black women are the most unprotected group of people, and these books are proof of that. These women deserve so much better than the sexism and racism that they face on a daily basis - and it's from their own community, too!]]> 2021-01-25 06:03:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120366298 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120404232 I'm so glad that Janie sticks up for herself and for other women when men disrespect her. The men in this book talk about women like they are objects, and Janie interferes with her thoughts. It's really brave, considering the fact that they had been talking about killing the women who try to make fools out of them, and here she is, talking back to them. 

It's sad that her soul is slowly dying the longer she stays with Joe. I hope that throughout the rest of the book, the fire remains in her, even if there is only a little bit - enough to keep her alive and sane.]]> 2021-01-25 06:20:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1120404232 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124514296 Finally, something good is happening. Janie is seeing right through his tactics when he repeatedly calls her old to get the attention off of him. The older he gets, the sooner he dies! That may sound dark and evil, but I can't help it. I really hate this man. Like Morticia Addams from "The Addams Family" sings, "death is just around the corner." Hopefully. 

Update: He died! I'm not saying it's what he deserves, but... it's what he deserves. ]]> 2021-01-25 23:23:54 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124514296 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124533986 Don't get me wrong, I hate the men in this book, but this quote made me smile:  
“'You heard her, you ain’t blind,'” Walter taunted."]]> 2021-01-25 23:38:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124533986 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124708338  "She tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there. She took careful stock of herself, then combed her hair and tied it back up again. Then she starched and ironed her face, forming it into just what people wanted to see, and opened up the window and cried, “'Come heah people! Jody is dead. Mah husband is gone from me.'” 

What a powerful scene! And what a powerful woman!

]]> 2021-01-26 01:24:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124708338 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124712081 Earlier, I wrote about how this book reminded me of "The Bluest Eye." Another book "Their Eyes Were Watching God" reminds me of is "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini, which is one of my favorite books. The main characters in both books had been abused by their husbands, but in the end, the husbands died a horrible death (as they should). The women in "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" were so strong yet so broken. I know how "A Thousand Splendid Suns" ends, and I'm hoping that Janie receives a happier ending since she had suffered so much in her lifetime.]]> 2021-01-26 01:27:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124712081 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124722962 "Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist."

Joe can no longer force her to cover her beauty up. We love to see it!]]> 2021-01-26 01:33:36 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124722962 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124742800 So there's a new man in the book, one that doesn't seem to think any less of Janie solely because she's a woman. He appears to be a nice guy, making her feel comfortable around him and teaching her how to play checkers. He even disagreed with the fact that the game is too intense for Janie's brain! Wow, the standards are low. But even if he does not form a romantic bond with Janie, I would like for the two of them to be friends. It's the least that she deserves. But I can't help but distrust him after everything else that had happened in this book, and if he ends up like Joe or Logan, I will literally start crying.

So, I just read another page. This mystery man's name is Tea Cake, which reminded me of the beginning of the book. This isn't going to end well... ]]> 2021-01-26 01:46:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124742800 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124941752 Who is going to tell Mrs. Turner that being black isn't bad? ]]> 2021-01-26 04:02:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124941752 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124956317 Tea Cake is bragging about abusing Janie to his friends. They are literally talking about beating their wives and how black women are less attractive because they fight back. Now I hate the only male character that I sort of liked. ]]> 2021-01-26 04:12:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124956317 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124996790 It's weird to bring in a hurricane near the end of the book, but it accurately describes the events of the book as a whole: a destructive mess. At this point, I barely remember who Logan is. So much has happened, and yet, I can't think of one positive event.

Tea Cake got bit by a dog. Serves him right for beating Janie to show that he "controls" her. 

It's a pleasant surprise that he isn't upset that she has better aim when shooting a gun that he does, though he is the one who taught her. ]]> 2021-01-26 04:35:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1124996790 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1125010540 The author of this book is really saving the craziest events for last, which I thought was impossible considering what I had gone through as a reader. First, the hurricane, and now we learn that the dog who bit Tea Cake had rabies. Tea Cake might die. As much as I dislike him, he was the only one who made Janie genuinely happy. I am very conflicted at the moment. ]]> 2021-01-26 04:43:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1125010540 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1125019774 Janie thinks Tea Cake is going to kill her? And she still believes that one day they'll be able to laugh about it?? The poor girl is so desperate for love, it seems. She's brainwashed.

…Never mind. She killed him. Yikes. 

I know I don't sound too interested, but trust me: my mouth is wide open right now. I didn't know what to expect, but this was the last thing I thought would happen.]]> 2021-01-26 04:48:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1125019774 ashvarghese https://padlet.com/ashvarghese/lxmnvrc9khgdu1a5/wish/1125034245 In my "First Impressions" post, I guessed that there would be some sort of division between men and women in the book. I was so right about that, though I wish I wasn't.

The dialogue was initially difficult to understand. It was so frustrating, which is why it took so long for me to read the book. I had to read each page three times just to understand the content, and then once more to realize what was going on in the story. Over time, though, it got easier for me to read. I went from hating this book with every inch of my being to loving it. 

Janie went from Logan- who, to be quite honest, I barely remember at this point so I don't even remember why he was toxic- to Joe, who was even worse. My hatred for that man is evident through my posts about him. I don't even want to think about him. And then there's Tea Cake, who I trusted. His ending hurt the most, because I wasn't expecting it like I did the others. 

I find it ironic that Tea Cake was so desperate to have control over her, hence why he slapped her, and yet in the end, he was killed by her. He taught her how to use a gun, and she shot him. The pupil outsmarted the teacher. How funny! (Not really, but I'm still shocked, so I'm using humor to recover). 

This story showcases the struggles that black women had to endure. Janie is so strong and I feel horrible that she had to experience as much as she did. Her Nanny married her off because she didn't want her granddaughter to experience pain and instability, and that is exactly what happened. 

Overall, I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I'm not sure I would ever recommend this book to anyone, but I would definitely talk about it. Perhaps I would tell them to listen to an audiobook version of it so they won't have to spend an hour deciphering a page worth of dialogue. 


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