The burial of the mule can be looked at several ways. For starters, the mule was ridiculed by the town, the town joke. The towns people would gather to mock the mule and it's owner. The mule was overworked, underfed, and unappreciated. When it got out, they tortured and abused it for their own amusement. Even after it was set free, they still mocked it, telling elaborate stories about it, and in general, not letting it have peace. Its death was a big event to the town. They had an elaborate ceremony, and basically mocked it's existence. Joe even stood on its carcass to give a speech. After, they didn't bury it, they just left it to rot. It was tragic. The mule can be a symbol for Janie. She did a lot of work, and was not appreciated. She was pushed around and belittled by Joe. She was innocent and taken advantage of. He "stood on her". As Nanny said "black women are the mules of society". The other way it can be interpreted, is that Joe buying the mule was the last nice thing that he ever did for Janie. He bought the mule not because he wanted to, but because Janie wanted him to. He only did it to make himself look good. With it's death, it showed that Joe would no longer do anything nice for her. He did not even let her go to the funeral. He did not care about what she thought, or her as a person, she was just his "trophy wife".
The mule is very much a symbol of Janie. As Nanny says, “‘De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see,’” (14). Joe tries to keep Janie in the store, just like Matt tries to keep his mule at home. Janie doesn’t always stay where Joe tells her to, though, and the mule doesn’t stay were Matt puts it. The difference here is that the mule fights when people try to capture it. Janie just goes along with what she is told to do. She wishes to rebel like the mule, but she cannot. The mule is also underfed, just like Janie’s soul. Each longs for something more than they have. They each gain something they wanted when Jody buys the mule. The mule gets food, and even becomes a little fat. Janie gets to see that Jody really does care about her. Janie and the mule still don’t really fit in in the town, though. Both are talked about by the townsfolk, the mule for its nature and Janie because Jody has made her seem like she thinks she is better than everyone else. These two still want more from life.
When the mule dies, the town holds a great funeral. This funeral is a lot like the beginning of the book, when Janie returns from “her fall from grace”. Everyone gathers around the mule and talks about it as if it wasn’t there, which technically it wasn’t. It is the same when Janie returns to the town many years later. All the women gather on Pheoby’s porch and talk about Janie, even when she walks past the house. Janie doesn’t really care though, because her thoughts are miles away. So, like the donkey, Janie was physically present, but not mentally. After the town remembers the mule, they begin to speculate about what will happen to the mule in “mule heaven”. They couldn’t possibly know, but they try to guess anyway, because it makes them feel more important. They do this to Janie when she returns to town as well. After the gossiping ladies have thoroughly discussed every aspect of Janie’s life, they begin to speculate about what happened to her, and why she is back. Janie understands that the ladies talk like this because they want to feel important. She says, “‘Let ‘em consulate theyselves wid talk,’” (192). When Joe stands on the mule’s belly, he seems to show that the mule was never really one of them because it was beneath them. The ladies of the town treat Janie the same way. Just goes to show how little the townsfolk change throughout the book.
The tragic part of the funeral is the poor manner in which the mule is treated. The mule never got any respect in life, or in death. The people tolerated it because the mayor bought it and tolerated it. It is tragic how the mayor’s behavior influences what the people choose to believe and how they act. Once Joe stood on the mule, the people began to insult it and mock it vigorously. There is a comic side to the funeral, though. The townsfolk go over the top with their reactions and interactions. They dream up wild stories about mule heaven, dance, and shout. The people are almost like puppets, doing exactly what Mayor Joe wants them to do. I found it rather humorous, but I still feel bad for the poor mule.
The mule was the town joke even after it was set free from its master. No one appreciated it for who it was or the hard work it had put forth in its life.The mule was never set free of the ridicule and shame that the town placed on it's shoulders.The much relates back to Janie who is like the mule. She has been owned by a man her whole life, and even though she is the Mayor's wife she is still a joke. She cannot go where she pleases, or talk without Joe's permission which is slim to none.
The elaborate burial for the mule was the town's way off laughing off the death of the "free" mule. It was Joe's idea to have a burial, but not because he truly cared for the mule. He threw this grand event to brighten his public image, and for everyone to look upon him, even when standing on the dead carcass, with admiration and respect. The event is meant to be as sad as it is symbolic. This is Janie soul that is truly dying with the mule. The town had a burial where Joe stood on it and than allowed everyone to ridicule it for the "useless" life it had spent. It is of no surprise when Joe dies, that Janie feels truly free and not to have her soul being stood on.
In many ways, Janie and the mule are the same. Not only is the metaphor made blatant through Nanny's comment that black women are the mules of society (14), but the relationship is evident throughout Janie's first two marriages.
Mules often serve only one purpose to their owners: to labor for little reward. Much was the same for Janie with Logan - she was bossed around and expected to do what she was told, nothing more and nothing less. Like mules, her works were unappreciated and she got little in return.
Soon after being released from work, however, the mule died. This could symbolize Janie's marriages in that soon after Joe saved her from her marriage with Logan, he began to take advantage of her and ultimately kill her rekindled dreams of love. Like the old, weary mule, she had been tragically freed into death's imprisonment.
At the funeral, the mule was mocked. The town found enjoyment in belittling the dead animal by putting on a pathetic funeral and standing on its carcass before leaving it to the vultures. Janie, however, was not able to witness this mockery because Joe had not allowed her to attend the "funeral". This simply once again showcases Joe's arrogant sense of empowerment that he holds toward Janie, and it gives Janie more reason to resent him and look for a truer kind of love.
The burial of the mule symbolized a multitude of things, one of which being the short lived freedom of Janie and the freedom that was yet to come. While the mule was bought and freed by Joe it passed away shortly after and the funeral trapped the mule once again but peace came after the burial. The same happened in the past with Logan having control over and Joe freeing her from that control, only for Janie to fall under a mans power yet again, and to have that power cut off by the death of Joe.
The death of the mule was also mocked in a comic way by being given a funeral that would be given to a human, but Janie was unable to attend this funeral because she was yet again under the dominating power of Joe. After standing on the mule and leaving Janie at home and showed so much power, Joe slowly began to lose that grasp on everything he had, the mule had escaped him in it's death, and Janie would soon escape him with his own death.
The symbolism of the mule is unmistakable. It probably represents many things, but the most obvious and poignant representation is of Janie. The mule, like Janie, has had a hard life, being passed from owner to owner, hoping each is better than the last, but eventually falling under their power and forced to work. The mule was once again mocked with an extravagant funeral, mocking the mule and essentially celebrating its death. Janie of course wasn't there because Joe wouldn't let her attend. This is just another show of Joe asserting his power over her, and is seen again when Joe stands on the mule. However, he has become so power hungry that this can only be the beginning of the end for Joe, as he has lost his mule, and would soon lose Janie and his life.
The mule represents many things. The most obvious thing that it represents is Janie. The mule has a very hard life and is passed owner to owner which can make it feel unsecure maybe because it feels as if it is never going to find that one that will love it, it is not good enough.I believe that it is wanting to stay with one that will treat it right but it ends up with several that do not treat it kindly, and it eventually falls under the power of a man that forces it to work even when it has had no food. The mule was mocked at its funeral and they celebrated its death, it was a very stubburn mule and very hard to work with. Janie was not at the funeral, Joe did not allow her to, he said it is above her to think or talk about the creature like the men do. This is another way to show that Joe has power over Janie always as the owner did over the mule. He is so very power hungry, I believe that he has became to power hungry everyone in the town says "Our beloved Mayor" when they go up to speak but it was one of those statements that everybody says but nobody actually believes like "God is everywhere.". He will soon loose the love of his life, Janie as he lost his mule if he does not change, or will he not care.
The mule's purpose in the book is pure symbolism, however it symbolizes many things. The most evident connection is the one between the mule and Janie. The mule, like Janie is something viewed yet not approached in the town;something talked about, but never spoken to.They used the mule and it's death as a form of their own personal entertainment.They did not care about it's well being, they just cared about how it effected their lives and their daily conversation. Just as how the majority of the town did not actually care about Janie, but rather about the way she is portrayed and how they can include her in their gossip. I have to think that if Janie and the mule are one in the same,then maybe when Joe bought the mule it wasn't necessarily him doing something kind for Janie.Rather it was him asserting himself over Janie and the rest of the town once again. The funeral for the mule, does not seem at all comic to me, but rather sad. It's sad in the sense that people who are willing to take advantage of the death of any living being is just depressing.The town used the mule's death as an excuse for another random party and Joe used it as another time to declare his dominance.
The burial of the mule can be looked at several ways. For starters, the mule was ridiculed by the town, the town joke. The towns people would gather to mock the mule and it's owner. The mule was overworked, underfed, and unappreciated. When it got out, they tortured and abused it for their own amusement. Even after it was set free, they still mocked it, telling elaborate stories about it, and in general, not letting it have peace. Its death was a big event to the town. They had an elaborate ceremony, and basically mocked it's existence. Joe even stood on its carcass to give a speech. After, they didn't bury it, they just left it to rot. It was tragic.
ReplyDeleteThe mule can be a symbol for Janie. She did a lot of work, and was not appreciated. She was pushed around and belittled by Joe. She was innocent and taken advantage of. He "stood on her". As Nanny said "black women are the mules of society".
The other way it can be interpreted, is that Joe buying the mule was the last nice thing that he ever did for Janie. He bought the mule not because he wanted to, but because Janie wanted him to. He only did it to make himself look good. With it's death, it showed that Joe would no longer do anything nice for her. He did not even let her go to the funeral. He did not care about what she thought, or her as a person, she was just his "trophy wife".
The mule is very much a symbol of Janie. As Nanny says, “‘De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see,’” (14). Joe tries to keep Janie in the store, just like Matt tries to keep his mule at home. Janie doesn’t always stay where Joe tells her to, though, and the mule doesn’t stay were Matt puts it. The difference here is that the mule fights when people try to capture it. Janie just goes along with what she is told to do. She wishes to rebel like the mule, but she cannot. The mule is also underfed, just like Janie’s soul. Each longs for something more than they have. They each gain something they wanted when Jody buys the mule. The mule gets food, and even becomes a little fat. Janie gets to see that Jody really does care about her. Janie and the mule still don’t really fit in in the town, though. Both are talked about by the townsfolk, the mule for its nature and Janie because Jody has made her seem like she thinks she is better than everyone else. These two still want more from life.
ReplyDeleteWhen the mule dies, the town holds a great funeral. This funeral is a lot like the beginning of the book, when Janie returns from “her fall from grace”. Everyone gathers around the mule and talks about it as if it wasn’t there, which technically it wasn’t. It is the same when Janie returns to the town many years later. All the women gather on Pheoby’s porch and talk about Janie, even when she walks past the house. Janie doesn’t really care though, because her thoughts are miles away. So, like the donkey, Janie was physically present, but not mentally. After the town remembers the mule, they begin to speculate about what will happen to the mule in “mule heaven”. They couldn’t possibly know, but they try to guess anyway, because it makes them feel more important. They do this to Janie when she returns to town as well. After the gossiping ladies have thoroughly discussed every aspect of Janie’s life, they begin to speculate about what happened to her, and why she is back. Janie understands that the ladies talk like this because they want to feel important. She says, “‘Let ‘em consulate theyselves wid talk,’” (192). When Joe stands on the mule’s belly, he seems to show that the mule was never really one of them because it was beneath them. The ladies of the town treat Janie the same way. Just goes to show how little the townsfolk change throughout the book.
The tragic part of the funeral is the poor manner in which the mule is treated. The mule never got any respect in life, or in death. The people tolerated it because the mayor bought it and tolerated it. It is tragic how the mayor’s behavior influences what the people choose to believe and how they act. Once Joe stood on the mule, the people began to insult it and mock it vigorously. There is a comic side to the funeral, though. The townsfolk go over the top with their reactions and interactions. They dream up wild stories about mule heaven, dance, and shout. The people are almost like puppets, doing exactly what Mayor Joe wants them to do. I found it rather humorous, but I still feel bad for the poor mule.
The mule was the town joke even after it was set free from its master. No one appreciated it for who it was or the hard work it had put forth in its life.The mule was never set free of the ridicule and shame that the town placed on it's shoulders.The much relates back to Janie who is like the mule. She has been owned by a man her whole life, and even though she is the Mayor's wife she is still a joke. She cannot go where she pleases, or talk without Joe's permission which is slim to none.
ReplyDeleteThe elaborate burial for the mule was the town's way off laughing off the death of the "free" mule. It was Joe's idea to have a burial, but not because he truly cared for the mule. He threw this grand event to brighten his public image, and for everyone to look upon him, even when standing on the dead carcass, with admiration and respect. The event is meant to be as sad as it is symbolic. This is Janie soul that is truly dying with the mule. The town had a burial where Joe stood on it and than allowed everyone to ridicule it for the "useless" life it had spent. It is of no surprise when Joe dies, that Janie feels truly free and not to have her soul being stood on.
In many ways, Janie and the mule are the same. Not only is the metaphor made blatant through Nanny's comment that black women are the mules of society (14), but the relationship is evident throughout Janie's first two marriages.
ReplyDeleteMules often serve only one purpose to their owners: to labor for little reward. Much was the same for Janie with Logan - she was bossed around and expected to do what she was told, nothing more and nothing less. Like mules, her works were unappreciated and she got little in return.
Soon after being released from work, however, the mule died. This could symbolize Janie's marriages in that soon after Joe saved her from her marriage with Logan, he began to take advantage of her and ultimately kill her rekindled dreams of love. Like the old, weary mule, she had been tragically freed into death's imprisonment.
At the funeral, the mule was mocked. The town found enjoyment in belittling the dead animal by putting on a pathetic funeral and standing on its carcass before leaving it to the vultures. Janie, however, was not able to witness this mockery because Joe had not allowed her to attend the "funeral". This simply once again showcases Joe's arrogant sense of empowerment that he holds toward Janie, and it gives Janie more reason to resent him and look for a truer kind of love.
The burial of the mule symbolized a multitude of things, one of which being the short lived freedom of Janie and the freedom that was yet to come. While the mule was bought and freed by Joe it passed away shortly after and the funeral trapped the mule once again but peace came after the burial. The same happened in the past with Logan having control over and Joe freeing her from that control, only for Janie to fall under a mans power yet again, and to have that power cut off by the death of Joe.
ReplyDeleteThe death of the mule was also mocked in a comic way by being given a funeral that would be given to a human, but Janie was unable to attend this funeral because she was yet again under the dominating power of Joe. After standing on the mule and leaving Janie at home and showed so much power, Joe slowly began to lose that grasp on everything he had, the mule had escaped him in it's death, and Janie would soon escape him with his own death.
The symbolism of the mule is unmistakable. It probably represents many things, but the most obvious and poignant representation is of Janie. The mule, like Janie, has had a hard life, being passed from owner to owner, hoping each is better than the last, but eventually falling under their power and forced to work.
ReplyDeleteThe mule was once again mocked with an extravagant funeral, mocking the mule and essentially celebrating its death. Janie of course wasn't there because Joe wouldn't let her attend. This is just another show of Joe asserting his power over her, and is seen again when Joe stands on the mule. However, he has become so power hungry that this can only be the beginning of the end for Joe, as he has lost his mule, and would soon lose Janie and his life.
The mule represents many things. The most obvious thing that it represents is Janie. The mule has a very hard life and is passed owner to owner which can make it feel unsecure maybe because it feels as if it is never going to find that one that will love it, it is not good enough.I believe that it is wanting to stay with one that will treat it right but it ends up with several that do not treat it kindly, and it eventually falls under the power of a man that forces it to work even when it has had no food.
ReplyDeleteThe mule was mocked at its funeral and they celebrated its death, it was a very stubburn mule and very hard to work with. Janie was not at the funeral, Joe did not allow her to, he said it is above her to think or talk about the creature like the men do. This is another way to show that Joe has power over Janie always as the owner did over the mule. He is so very power hungry, I believe that he has became to power hungry everyone in the town says "Our beloved Mayor" when they go up to speak but it was one of those statements that everybody says but nobody actually believes like "God is everywhere.". He will soon loose the love of his life, Janie as he lost his mule if he does not change, or will he not care.
The mule's purpose in the book is pure symbolism, however it symbolizes many things. The most evident connection is the one between the mule and Janie. The mule, like Janie is something viewed yet not approached in the town;something talked about, but never spoken to.They used the mule and it's death as a form of their own personal entertainment.They did not care about it's well being, they just cared about how it effected their lives and their daily conversation. Just as how the majority of the town did not actually care about Janie, but rather about the way she is portrayed and how they can include her in their gossip.
ReplyDeleteI have to think that if Janie and the mule are one in the same,then maybe when Joe bought the mule it wasn't necessarily him doing something kind for Janie.Rather it was him asserting himself over Janie and the rest of the town once again.
The funeral for the mule, does not seem at all comic to me, but rather sad. It's sad in the sense that people who are willing to take advantage of the death of any living being is just depressing.The town used the mule's death as an excuse for another random party and Joe used it as another time to declare his dominance.
wow 2011!
ReplyDelete