Eyes Journal 1

When seeing Janie kiss Johnny Taylor, Nanny is described as, " the standing roots of some tree that had been torn away by storm" (12). This image is used showing the shock and dismay of Nanny. She has been caring for Janie and was Janie's strength and kept her safe. Now Janie describes her as being broken and powerless. This also shows that Nanny no longer can take care of Janie for she has nothing left to give. Nanny has become the Giving Tree at the end of the book and she can't even be used as a seat to rest on. In contrast, the blossoming pear tree that Janie enjoyed in her childhood shows her innocence with its "alto chant of visiting bees, the gold of the sun and panting breath of the breeze" (10). This tree is warm and welcoming with beauty. It is untouched and has seen no struggle. Janie wanted a struggle as said on the next page " she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her" (11). She received her struggle when she married Logan Killicks and it was what she had dreamed it to be. As Joe Stark walked down the street one day she realized there was something better than her pear tree. "[H]e did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon" (28). The far horizon poses new struggles and adventures with the companionship of a man who shows promise.