Janie marries Killicks
Jody suppresses Janie
Janie kills Teacake
Rumpelstiltskin vs. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theme: Hiding who we truly are
In TEWWG, Janie is controlled by Jody, when he abuses her emotionally, calling her "no young courtin' gal. You'se a ole woman" (79) to lower her self-esteem, and physically, when he "slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears" (72). In Rumpelstiltskin, Sexton is saying how our inner demon is "the enemy within...the boss of your dreams." This control leaves both main characters helpless. Also, there is the feature of a paternal figure, the father of the girl in Rumpelstiltskin and Janie's grandmother. Both characters try to do what is best for their children, as the miller boast that she can spin gold out of straw to make her seem more desirable, and the grandmother wanted Janie married so she could "pick from a higher bush" and live a better life than what she was living now.
Hamlet vs. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Theme: Following the orders of the elders
In TEWWG, Janie wishes to follow her grandmother's wish to live a better life than the life she had lived, and in Hamlet, he wnats to follow his father's wish to kill the man who killed him, King Claudius. Both do their best to follow these wishes, however hard it is for them. Janie is forced to remain silent while she is physically and emotionally abused, and Hamlet is forced to pretend that he is crazy until he actually is. Also, Ophelia allowed her dad to spy on Hamlet, compromising her love with Hamlet to fulfill her duties to Polonius. Janie is the same as she marries Logan to please her grandmother, even though she does not feel any love for him.
