happieness. “De day you puts yo’ hand in mine, Ah wouldn’t let de sun go down on us single. You ain’t never knowed what it was to be treated lak a lady and Ah wants to be de one tuh show yuh.” He wanted her to feel special, and be treated like she was somebody. Janie began to wonder if this was her conclusion to her search of her freedom. She figured that this is where her happieness was, and that Joe would give her all that she wanted. Together they built a life. Joe bought her things she never even dreamed of. When they built Eatonville together, Janie expressed her feelings and opinions the way she always wanted to. She, finally, was her own self. Or so she thought. Towards the end of this blissfull marriage, she grew tired to this life, and the way Joe was treating her. He treated her special...but not in a unique sort of way like in the beginning. He started treating her the way everyone else was. She was expected to do things and dress and act certain ways. She was tired of being the one in charge in Eatonville. “She must look on herself as the bell-cow, the other women were the gang.” When Joe became the Mayor of Eatonville, she was in charge of many things. She was the leading lady. Although this was different than how her life was before, she didn’t like having to take care of most everything. In the beginning, it felt important, but towards the end, she felt unappreciated for the things she had done, and it pretty much became expected of her. She seemed to become more of a problem than a solution. “No matter what Jody did, she said nothing. She had learned how to talk some and leave some. She was a rut in the road.” Being a leading lady in the town, she didn’t like being in authority. She wanted to be treated respectibly, the way she was, but she didn’t want that kind of relationship with the people. She just wanted friends...and...
