I think Janie's whole journey is leading her away from men and their control over her.
The ordinary world is, of course with Nanny when she has very little knowledge of men at all especially since she never had a father. The call to adventure is the description under the pair tree, because she must first experience men and what they are like if she ever wants to really be free of their control.
The refusal of the call and the meeting of the mentor are when Nanny Janie that Logan Killicks wants to marry her and she refuses. Nanny is the mentor when she convinces Janie to marry Logan for her own protection.
When Janie marries Logan she steps over the threashold into the world of men. There is now no turning back and she must defeat them or be defeated herself.
The times she spent married to Teacake, Joe and Logan were the tests Janie had to face before she could enter the cave. These tests, especially Joe's marriage test Janie's endurance and need for freedom. Luckily she prevails and continues to seek freedom. She learned through these tests, not to trust men. She especially did not trust Teacake because, although she loved him, he had already stolen her money and beaten her up. On top of that he became sick with rabies which made him crazy. Since she survived these tests and learned not to trust men Janie was able to enter the cave and Spin the barrel of Teacakes revolver so he would have three blanks before there was a bullet to shoot her with. Luckily she did this because it helped her survive the Ordeal.
The ordeal in the story is where the hero is supposed to almost be defeted by the main bad guy but the hero should prevail and end up the victor. She certainly had an ordeal. Teacake went through all the blanks and got a real shot off before Janie managed to kill Teacake, her last husband. In doing so she finally defeated men and as a reward, becomes free of their controlling powers.
The road back is when Janie is arrested and her time spent in jail, and her ressurection is the trial. The trial was another brush with death because Janie was charged with murdering her husband. If convicted, she would have been hanged. The white women who are on Janie's side are the unexpected allies at this stage.
The return with the elixer is when Janie returns to Eatonville and the elixer is the wisdom and knowledge along with the freedom she gained throughout the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment