Nanny was determined that Janie would break the cycle of oppression of black women, who were "mules for the world". (Both of Janie's first two husbands owned mules and the way they treated their mules paralleled to the way they treated Janie. Logan Killicks worked his mule demandingly and Joe Starks bought Matt Bonner's mule and put it out to pasture as a status symbol.) After joyfully discovering an archetype for sensuality, love, and marriage under a pear tree at sixteen, Janie quickly comes to understand the reality of marriage in her first two marriages. Both Logan Killicks and Joe

She experienced true happiness with Tea Cake while taking in new lessons of life. She had a sense of freedom and regained innocence with him. He made most of the decisions, but she was treated as a person so she went along gladly. They lived in the marshes, worked side by side, and danced at night. Eventually her innocence was again replaced with a harsh reality, death. Janie wore her overalls because "she was too busy feeling grief to dress like grief". She had come full circle in her life and learned that there are "two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves." Though she endured many hardships she discovered herself and life. Her journey was one every human being must take and she learned what every human being must learn...how to live.

Janie had a difficult time discovering her identity and it took her many years. Once she broke down the confining walls she held a tight grip on her identity. Janie looked whiter than other women. Her fair complexion attracted Starks and also contributed to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tea Cake, Janie Crawford, Joe Starks, Matt Bonner's, Watching God, Logan Killicks, tea cake, fuh theyselves, killicks mule, logan killicks, love marriage, black women, joe starks,
Approximate Word count = 738
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)