“There are years that ask questions and years thatanswer.”
Quickwrite: Write a speculative response on what the upcoming year willhold for Janie.
Will this year be the year that asks questions or one thatanswers them?
Will this be the year that does both?
Discuss thequestions that follow and take notes relating to the events inChapters 3 and 4.
- As Janie evaluates her marriage to Logan Killicks, Hurston presentsthe recurring image of the horizon (page 25): “The familiar peopleand things had failed her so she hung over the gate and looked upthe road towards way off. She knew now that marriage did not makelove. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.” Discusshow Janie’s frustration helps her growing self-awareness
- Nanny desires that Janie would have a life far different from her ownand Leafy’s. Discuss what Nanny desires for Janie and what actionsNanny takes to realize this desire. Read the text closely to identifyexamples of irony in Nanny’s actions and the result of them.
- What symbolic act does Janie perform when she leaves Logan?Examine the paragraph that begins, “The morning road air….” Howdoes Hurston’s word choice reveal her tone toward this developmentof the plot?
- Reread the paragraph that begins, “Joe Starks was the name….” Whois the narrator? Why do you think Hurston choose to present Joe’sintroduction in this way? What is the impact of the shift in point ofview from omniscient to Joe Starks’s character?
- Chapter 4 ends with Janie’s leaving for Green Cove Springs with JoeStarks. Predict how Janie and Joe’s relationship will develop aftershe runs out on Logan. Will her dream become truth? How do themotifs of the horizon and of the pear tree and bees factor into Janie’sleaving?