Symbols in Their Eyes...

1.      Janie’s hair symbolizes her freedom.  When her hair is not up in the head rag, she is free and being herself.  When Joe forces her to wear the head rag, she is hidden from herself; the rest of the world doesn’t see her as who she really is.

2.      The overalls that Janie wears when she first enters Eatonville symbolize a working class.  When everyone first saw Janie, they were gossiping about how poor she appeared to be.

3.      The pear tree parallels Janie blooming into a young woman.  When she spends time under the tree, she notices the bees pollinating and the buds bursting into flowers.

4.      The mule symbolizes Joe trying to win Janie back.  Joe purchases the mule to win back Janie’s affection.  It was said that “black people are the mules of the world.”

5.      The horizon symbolizes Janie’s future.  Janie hopes that one day she will stop being a dreamer and become an achiever.

6.      Joe Starks’ white, painted house symbolizes the dominance that he has over the town.  Compared to the other “shacks,” Joe’s house looks like it would be one of a plantation owner, while everyone else’s houses look like slave houses.

7.      The gate represents the fact that Janie is being held back in her life by Joe.  If the gate was opened, Janie could have so much potential to become the woman that she dreams of being.

8.      The head rag that Janie is forced to wear symbolizes Joe’s power over her.  He wants Janie to be all his and nobody else’s.  He restricts Janie from being who she really is.

9.      The sun rise represents “out with the old and in with the new.”  When Joe dies, Janie is free to be who she wants to be.

10.  The game of checkers that Joe plays with his friends symbolizes that he thinks men are better than women.  Joe doesn’t allow Janie to play because he thinks that she isn’t smart enough.
Images from: http://www.superiorpics.com/pictures/3C7V816775237.jpg http://www.birkenholz.com/IMAGES/MuleColt05Right.jpg http://www.brigdale.com/images/white%20gate%20(2).JPG http://web.njit.edu/~as423/SunRise.jpg