to see where it fell. Ah feel the same way 'bout Mr. Killicks too. Some folks was never meant to be loved, and he's one of 'em" (Hurston 23). Janie knows that this relationship will not bring her happiness, and she looks forward to finding romantic love.Soon after her marriage to Logan Killicks, Janie meets Joe Starks, and believes that she has found that romance that she has been searching for. Starks promises to fulfill her dreams, to show her "what it was to be treated lak a lady" (Hurston 29). Janie knows full well that leaving her husband to run off with a stranger will be looked upon unfavorably by society, but she does just that, and does not even bother to divorce her current husband before she leaves. Janie rejects the values of her grandmother and defies the rules of society in order to pursue her own happiness. Soon, however, Janie learns that Joe views her merely as his trophy, as nothing more than the Mayor's beautiful wife. After years of enduring insults about her intelligence and her aging appearance, Janie decides to strike back. Naw, Ah ain't no young gal no mo', but den Ah ain't no old woman neither. Ah reckon Ah looks mah age too. But Ah'm more woman every inch of me, and Ah know it. Dat's uh whole lot more'n you kin say. You big-bellies round here and put out a log of brag, but 'tain't nothin' to it but yo' big voice. Humph! Talkin' bout me lookin' old! When you pull down yo' britches, you look lak de change uh life (Hurston 79). Janie refuses to be silent, to play the role of dutiful wife, and actively opposes her fate. After he is publicly shamed, Joe takes ill and passes away. Following his death Janie once again defies societal expectations with her brief mourning over the loss of her husband. "Ah aint' grievin' so why do Ah hafta mourn," she questions, and begins to fall in love with Tea Cake (Hurston 113). Her relationship with Tea Cake, a man much younger and in a much less stable financ...
