In chapter 4 of Their Eyes were watching God, Janie
appears to be attracted to Joe at first glance as he makes a rather dramatic
entrance. When introducing himself, he makes sure to include that he was “Joe
starks from in and through Georgy” to show off that he wasn’t actually from
Florida. This may be significant because I doubt that Janie had been outside
the state which adds to Joe’s aura as an outsider. Specifically, it seems that
she admires his swagger and charm. The way he is dressed, with “His hat set at
an angle that didn’t belong in these parts. His coat was over his arm, but he didn’t
need it to represent his clothes. The shirt with the silk sleeveholder was
dazzling enough for the world” is appealing to her because he looks different
from regular people in the town and she wants to escape her regular life and
experience something new. Through his wealthy appearance and his ambition to be
a “big ruler”, Janie sees an opportunity for herself to leave a monotonous life
and “live on a pedestal”. She is especially attracted to the idea that Joe “spoke
for far horizon”.
Janie’s fall for Joe Starks
reveals a lot about her as a person. For one, she is definitely a spontaneous individual
who is making a rather important life decision based on the promise of a
stranger. She has no idea who this man really is and is able to make this
decision without consulting anyone else. In another light, Janie can be seen as
a risk taker. She is willing to make a drastic move and is open for “change and
chance” as she describes it (29). I personally think Janie is also a terrible
wife for talking to Joe as a married women and not telling her husband about
her intentions to leave, other than hinting at it the night before. We know
from earlier in the book from the pear tree scene that Janie has an ideal
standard for sexual and emotional fulfillment and her interaction with Joe
shows her displeasure with her current marriage but also a desire to be swept
of her feet. When Joe says “A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de
front porch and rock and fan yo’self and eat p’taters dat other folks plant
just special for you” she seems to like what he is saying and responds by laughing at Joe.
This initial interaction
with Joe starks rubs me the wrong way. To start, Joe doesn’t seem to be turned
away when Janie tells him that she is married. He continues to flirt which shows
his lack of respect for relationships. This entire scene to me feels like a
scam. Starks seems like a fake, cocky salesman who is promising all these
wonderful things only to rip her off. His opening line is particularly revealing
as it reminds me of someone pitching a product. It all seems rehearsed and
overused. “Joe starks was the name, yeah Joe starks from in and through Georgy”.
