In the first four pages of the novel, Hurston uses language that has to do with peoples' mouths. Hurston uses this language to show what people are saying, "And ah reckon they got me up in they mouth now" (5). This use of the word mouth is simply used to state what people are talking about; but Hurston uses mouths in an even more important way: to show people's emotions and thoughts. "nobody moved, nobody spoke, nobody even thought to swallow spit until after the gate slammed behind her" (2). Hurston seems to think that by telling us what is going on in a persons mouth that we can tell what is going on in their head. "Logan held his tobacco real still in his jaw like a thermometer of his feelings while he studied Janie's face and waited for her to say something" (27). Hurston uses the human mouth as an excellent way to 'show rather than to tell', and it is because of this continual use of it that we can conclude that Hurston uses the motif of mouths as a sort of symbol of ones mind.
I have never thought of the happenings of someone's mouth as anything significant. However, Hurston shows us that that is not always the case. I know that in psychology you can tell how people feel by some of their outward movements, such as a nervous twitch; can the same be said for the mouth? Can you actually tell how a person feels by what goes on in someone's mouth? In today's society we do not think twice about the movements of someone's mouth. Was it different back in the 1920's? Did people back then actually take into consideration someone's mouth while they were having a conversation with them? Also, I wonder if there will be additional meanings to one's mouth, other than speech and thoughts, later in the novel.
I noticed in the first few pages that Hurston made, what seemed to me, to be a few references about slavery. These references were quite subtle, and one may even be able to debate whether these have any link to slavery at all. "A mood come alive. Words walking without masters; walking altogether like harmony in a song" (2). This seems to be saying that once there is no master, that the slave then comes alive. Also, the "harmony in a song" made me think of a slave song. Back during slavery, slave songs were often a way to communicate with other slaves. Perhaps the "harmony in a song" means more than just the musical meaning, it could very possibly include the mental harmony that slaves had while they sung. This quote will make the reader think more deeply about slavery throughout the novel. After reading this quote, it will be apparent that Hurston has strong feelings regarding slavery, and that she may be inclined to potentially use more figurative language involving slavery.
Hurston seems to care about slavery a great deal. Was her life personally affected by slavery? Did she have a relative who was a slave? When this book was published in the 1930's was slavery still a topic on everyone's mind? Was it, perhaps even controversial for her to write about? I wonder if Hurston had any opinions on the differences between slave labor and the black labor that quite resembled slavery after the Civil War. It will be interesting to look for those differences as the book goes on.
Hurston spends a lot of time talking about Janie's transition to womanhood. While explaining it she uses many metaphors, some being more obvious than others. "For a long time she sat rocking with the girl held tightly to her sunken breast. Janie's long legs dangled over one arm of the chair and the long braids of her hair swung low on the other side" (14). In this implied metaphor Hurston paints the picture of a balance, with her long legs and her long braids on either side. However, the meaning is deeper than just the position she is sitting in. This balance seems to be the balance between childhood and womanhood for Janie. Also, in this implied metaphor are Janie's long braids, which throughout the novel symbolize her womanhood. In the end, Janie realizes that it will be impossible for her to be both a girl and a woman, that the balancing act is not possible, and it is at that time when she becomes a woman.
Hurston lingers on the transition from a girl to a woman. Was this transition especially hard on her in her younger years? Also, is the way that this transition occurred going to be relevant to Janie's love life later in the story? In today's society, by age sixteen a girl has long considered herself a woman. Were things different back then? Did it actually take 16 years before a girls first kiss?
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