5th,+Eulogy

Eulogy, 5th pd

"They mocked everything human in death. Starks led off with a great eulogy on our departed citizen...[Jody] stood on the distended belly of the mule for the platform and made gestures." p. 60

In the Eulogy we first see, at face value, that everybody in the town has their own story for the mule. But, we can especially draw parallels between the mule and Janie. [|baker-dead-mule.jpg] [|baker-dead-mule.jpg] First, Janie is equal to the mule. Many times, the townspeople make step on Janie like they did on the mule, especially when they sit on the porch and signify or control her in the store. Janie worked way to how Matt Bonner worked the mule. Eventually, they cast Janie aside like they did with the mule: "Everybody enjoyed themselves to the highest and then finally the mule was left to the already impatient buzzards."

Also, it can be argued that the townspeople serve as Jody's mule. Throughout the book, Jody controls the town as the mayor, thus controlling its citizens. It has also been noted the "mules and other brutes have occupied their skins."

Article:

"Hurston, therefore, uses this tale to talk about the effects speech and its deployment in master/slave relationships" -page 48