Annotated Passage
Janie starched and ironed her face and came set in the funeral behind her veil. It was like a wall of stone and steel. The funeral was going on outside. All things concerning death and burial were said and done. Finish. End. Nevermore. Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution. Eternity. Weeping and wailing outside. Inside the expensive black folds were resurrection and life. She did not reach outside for anything, nor did the things of death reach inside to disturb her calm. She sent her face to Joe’s funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world. After a while the people finished their celebration and Janie went on home.
Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house the next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist. That was the only change people saw in her. She kept the store in the same way except of evening she sat on the porch and listened and sent Hezekiah in to wait on late custom. She saw no reason to rush at changing things around. She would have the rest of her life to do as she pleased.
Their Eyes Were Watching God(88-89)"It was like a wall of stone and steel."
Hurston is implying here that the difference between her "outside" and "inside". Janie's outside appearace gave no hint or peak of anything that was going on within her, which also implies that the two were very different.(back to passage)
"The funeral was going on outside..."
This demonstrates the differences in Janie inside and outside. While on the outside there was talk and feeling of end and darkness, inside Janie was feeling completely the opposite, she was feeling a new life and a new beginning. Janie was beginning to discovery a feeling inside of her that she had not had since she was a child,a feeling of freedom and rebirth.(back to passage)
"She did not reach outside for anything..."
This implies that Janie is beginning to distance herself from those aspects of her life with Joe and was beginning to reach within herself for answers and seprate herself from the life she was forced to live.(back to passage)
"She sent her face to Joe's funeral..."
While Janie's face looked like that one would expect at a funeral. Within herself she weas already beginning to explore herself. "Rollicking with the springtime" also relates back to the vision of the pear-tree that Janie had as a child.(back to passage)
"Before she slept she burnt up every one of her head rags..."
Probably the most important part of the chapter. This demonstrates Janie separating herself from Joe Starks and the life he forced her to live and marked the beginning of Janie looking within herself to make decisons.(back to passage)
"That was the only change people saw in her."
On the outside people saw no change. But that was not where the large amount of change was. It was within Janie that there had been a new period of self-discovery and desire for love and freedom.(back to passage)
"She would have the rest of her life to do as she pleased."
Janie now realizes that she has seprated herself from her past and her future is now up to her, not others. She also has come to accept that she will not let others force her live her life in any other way other than that which she has dreamed.(back to passage)
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