page 14: "De n* woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see"- Nanny to Janie
page 114 relates: Nanny wanted Janie to be "on the porch" as a white woman, but Janie learned that she hated being on the porch
Nanny only wanted the best for Janie, but Janie didn't like the position she was given, she wants a voice
The grass was not greener on the other side
Article Passage:
end of page 46 to page 47
Summary:
"The mule's function as a beast of burden plays itself out as a symbol for slavery-institutionalized or otherwise. Nanny has firsthand experience of slavery with its associated economic and emotional bondage"
Nanny had to run away to save not only her life, but her baby daughter's
"We need to consider, in addition to its role as a beast of burden in a relationship based on an unequal distribution of power, the mule's stereotypical stubbornness and unpredictability"
Notes:
Janie tries to explain to Nanny her side of the story and tries to speak up but Nanny slaps her- Nanny's opinion is the most important and Janie must be silenced to listen
Nanny says she wants things to be different for Janie, but really she is silencing Janie by deciding how she should live her life
Nanny gives Janie a type of pecking order/ food chain
White men > white woman > black men > black women
Black woman are at the bottom of the food chain
mule=silencing
Nanny was raped by a white ma and her past experience of being told what to do by a white man has scared her perspective
Nanny wants Janie not to be a person who works the land like she did
She also doesn't want Janie to end up like her mother who was raped by her school teacher --> both Nanny and Leafy were taken advantage of and Nanny wants Janie to have a safe life. In order to achieve a safe life, she must marry a good black man instead of kissing random boys
Nanny slaps Janie. Afterwards, she says she doesn't want anyone else hurting her (foreshadow)
Nanny, 5th pd