Journal #7: Character decisions and Pastiche

Near the beginning of the story, Janie makes the decision to leave Logan for Joe after he convinces her that she, "ain't never knowed what it was like to be treated like a lady" (p. 29). However, Joe does quite the opposite. He is disrespectful and forbids her to contribute to conversations he is having with other townsmen. Janie's motivation for moving on from Logan to Joe is the fact that she longs for equality. Joe has a heroic quality about him when he is first introduced in the novel and it comes across that he is going to treat her very well. She is tired of Logan rushing her and giving her orders of things to do around the farm so she feels that moving on to Joe is the best decision she could make.

Pastiche:

Janie pivoted from the door instead of acknowledging it, and positioned herself in the center of the room instead of moving on. She felt uneasy just stalling to recognize her emotions. She had given what Logan said much thought and had kept it in a place that could easily be recalled. As soon as she was done she flung the mixture into the pan and flattened it over. She did not feel upset. Logan was blaming her of her mamma, her grandmamma and her feelings, but she knew what she must do. The dough in the skillet needed to be flipped. Twirled the cornbread with a plate then took a deep breath. Why would she even consider leaving Logan? The thoughts of her Nanny's wishes flooded across her. Janie quickly moved to the back door and picked up her work where she had left off. Although Joe was probably anticipating Janie's appearance that morning, she could not risk letting her Nanny down.

The aroma of the farm was like a worn-in pair of shoes. It showed her how tightly the shoelaces were knotted. She decided to keep them on and continue her life with Logan, the shoes ensuring her a place that is hard to detach from. After a while Logan came out to finish up on one of his jobs. A small smile crept across his face and he informed her of a few more jobs that needed to be completed. With him standing there, he seemed to have this massive shadow that greatly surpassed her independence. From now until she meets her demise she would have stones tossed at any thoughts she once had of equality.