The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long. Anyhow, she wasn't going back to Eatonville to be laughed at and pitied. She had ten dollars in her pocket and twelve hundred in the bank. But oh God, don't let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it. And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me. Maybe Ah'm is uf fool, Lawd, lad dey say, but Lawd, Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin', Jesus. Ah done waited uh long time.
Janie dozed off to sleep but she woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark. He peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red, but pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white. But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back. She got out of the bed but a chair couldn't hold her. She dwindled down on the floor her head in a rocking chair."
I highlighted the light blue words because I thought it was an interesting contrast in word choice. Hurston often does this with words.
I highlighted the purple for no specific reason, but I found that line to be interesting. In a way, it's foreshadowing for Janie. Although Janie does not die, her eternal quest for love will eventually be the thing that destroys her as well.
The yellow I highlighted represents imagery. The words "pictures and hanging" made me envision Janie's thoughts like a dark cloud, or bad memory that is captured inside of her and won't go away. Also, the word laughing appeals to my hearing sense, so I actually imagine people laughing at her in Eatonville if she were to return.
The green highlighted text shows the sudden change of point of view. Hurston goes from third person point of view to first person in the same paragraph, which ties in with syntax. Hurtston switches points of view often, so that gives the reader the effect that they are getting more of an insight into Janie. The green also represents dialect. Hurston goes from fluid and formal writing to choppy, informal and almost in a way, uneducated writing.
I am having a difficult time taking the orange highlighted text apart. Sun is usually used as a symbol in Their Eyes Were Watching God to represent a new beginning, but judging by that text, I'm not sure if that's what Hurston is trying to imply.
The dark blue words are repetition. Hurston repeats darkness.
The red text is interesting because of Hurston's play with color imagery. In past English classes, we learned that red usually represents things like attraction or sexuality. So that got me thinking maybe that's what Tea Cake is to Janie. He is much younger and attractive and that's what lured Janie in. But after Janie got to know him, he realized that he is much more bland and that's where the "white" comes in.
The last sentence, in the dark purple, gives the reader a sort of helpless mood. The way she "dwindles on the floor" make me feel bad for Janie. Even after "running away" with Tea Cake, she is still lonely.
Also, I don't know why the text is randomly being highlighted white..........
Hello! First off, I want to say that I appreciate the legend you created. It was very clear and it helped me understand what each color meant. I agree with you about the orange highlights: that the sun "is usually used as a symbol[...]to represent a new beginning," and that Hurston doesn't really make it out to seem that way. I wish I had thought to write about that.
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