Janie's dreams for a romantic future are quickly extinguished as her grandmother forces her to marry Logan Killicks. Before she is married, Janie spends all her time observing a "blossoming pear tree" and soaking in the beauty of nature. In the nature that surrounds her, Janie develops her own concept of what marriage and love should be like. The blossoms in the tree ignite a curiosity in her own sexuality and she longs to be "any tree in bloom...with kissing bees." She aches for a chance to express her "glossy leaves and bursting buds," but even after searching the world that she knows, the connection and love she is looking for still "seem to elude her." Then, in the midst of her search for an experience of love, her Nanny forces her to marry Logan Killicks. Nanny does not understand that Janie longs for more than just physical comfort and she believes that marrying Logan will give Janie "protection." Janie and her dream are crushed, as the "vision of Logan Killicks desecrate[s] the pear tree," a recurring image in the novel that represents true love and sexuality. Because Nanny tells her, Janie naively decides that "she [will] love Logan after they [are] married" because "husbands and wives always love each other." However, after living with Logan, she comes to the harsh realization that not everyone seeks the type of relationship she does. Logan never "mention[s] nothin' pretty" and she finds that their marriage is "absent of flavor." Janie is worried because she believed she would love Logan and she does not. However, when Janie confronts Nanny about not loving Logan, Nanny does not sympathize with her. Instead, she chides Janie for not being grateful for a husband that chops wood for her and keeps the water buckets full. In Nanny's mind, Janie has all that she could ask for because Logan is providing for her physical needs and it is best to "leave things de way dey is." Janie's relationship with Logan worsens, as Logan stops "talking in rhymes to her" and no longer "wonder[s] at her long black hair." In addition, Logan orders Janie to help him chop up the wood and tells her that she will also have to plow the fields. Logan is controlling Janie's actions and attempting to make her into his idea of what a wife should be. In Logan's mind, Janie is there to benefit him and help out on the farm. As he orders Janie to help him "move the manure pile," he tells Janie that she "ain't got no particular place" except for "wherever" he needs her. Although Janie is disappointed in Logan, she still holds onto her dream that one day she will experience life for herself. Since Logan will not let her make her own decisions, he is hindering her from achieving that dream. After waiting in vain for her marriage to produce love, Janie finally accepts that "marriage [does] not make love" and in this acceptance "Janie's first dream [is] dead."

Although Jody Starks at first seems to offer Janie a chance to fulfill her dreams, he quickly takes control of Janie's actions and proves himself to be a selfish, dominating, and stubborn man. When Janie first meets Jody, he offers her an escape from her life with Logan. Jody says that he does not want to "make a dog" out of her, as Logan does, but instead he wants to "make a wife" out of Janie and treat her "lak a lady." Although Janie is hesitant because Jody does not represent "sun-up and pollen and blooming trees," he does speak about the "far horizon" and Janie decides to run away with him. As soon as Janie decides to leave Logan, her "old thoughts" come back and she feel

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Approximate Word count = 2395
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)