Hajir Sailors AP English

Summer Reading Log

Their Eyes Were Watching God-Chapter 8

This chapter marks the start of a new lifestyle for Jody and Janie Starks. Their

love is no longer present in any sense of the word. “After that night Jody moved his

things and slept in a room downstairs. He didn’t really hate Janie, but he wanted her to

think so….They didn’t talk too much around the store either.” (Neale-Hurston, 81) Jody

seemed mad to Janie, and she thought that he would get over his mad spell, but it never

happened. Of course in these times things weren’t going to change around much. “She

noticed how baggy Joe was getting all over. Like bags hanging from an ironing board”

(81) Not only was Janie getting old, but Joe was too, and the physical attractiveness that

held the two together so long was quickly disappearing.

Joe wanted badly to fix his appearance so he enlisted the help of root-doctors and

any other half wit who claimed they could fix him up, but all they did was take his money

and Janie knew what he needed was a real doctor, but they didn’t talk enough anymore

for her to get the point across to him. Janie went to her friends, but they didn’t even

know that there were still hard times between the mayor an his wife, for Jody and Janie

had been playing the town as if they were fools.

Joe finally got too weak to look after things and was on his sick bed. He did not

allow his wife to come in but Janie called a real doctor finally. The real doctor told them

that Joe had kidney failure and that he needed medical attention two years ago and now it

is just a matter of time until Mr. Starks dies.

Janie finally gathers up the courage to speak with her husband and she gives him

a talking to. They have their final argument and she thanks him for everything and then

she finally brings up the topic that he is going to die. He gets very, very mad and starts

screaming back at his wife, and then he dies. Janie makes her final statement to her

husband regarding the last twenty married years of her life “dis sittin’ in de rulin’ charis

is been hard on Jody.” (87) At this point she pities Jody for the first time ever. But she

is now a different woman, she looks in a mirror and she is no longer a young girl, but a

handsome woman. She tears off her hair kerchief, opens the window, and makes the

announcement: “Come heah people! Jody is dead. Mah husband is gone from me.” (87)