What is the significance of the mules funeral

She feels the spark go out of their sex life and the spirit of love leave their marriage. One day, seven years after they met, Jody slaps her after a disastrous dinner. But later that day, Janie goes to the store. The men on the porch mutter that they would never allow their wives to embarrass them like that, especially since her husband had spent so much money on her.

She points out that it is easy to act big and tough when women and chickens are the only things around to subdue. Jody tells her to be quiet and orders her to fetch him a checkerboard. On the other hand, by experiencing the richness of life in Eatonville, in particular the rich folk traditions of conversation, Janie begins to see how she might live the life that she so desires.

Jody continues to exert the same kind of control over Janie that he does in Chapter 5. It is important to note, however, that Jody is not an evil character. Indeed, there are no true antagonists in the book, and evil is not manifested in specific individuals.

He is living the only way he knows how. In his heart, he does not intend to hurt people, but his unfailing belief in a social hierarchy dominated by wealthy males inevitably hurts those around him. It is a noble display of power both because it frees the mule from cruelty and because it is meant to please Janie.

Though this incident is not a matter of anger or ambition but rather tender kindness, he can demonstrate this kindness only by means of money. He is unable or unwilling to interact on equal terms with Janie; he uses his purchasing power to express his emotions.

One can argue that he senses Janie slipping away from him and that he intends the act to woo her back under his dominion. But in the lengthy passages of dialogue, we are brought deeper into the world of the novel: instead of being told a story, we are actually being shown a world. 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. To impress Janie, Jody then buys the mule and is praised by the town. The liberated mule later dies and, and a funeral occurs, where Jody refuses to let Janie attend. Tony and women, who face hierarchical oppression by men.

The abused yellow mule symbolizes mistreatment and suppression that Janie and women like her face. The mule is constantly mocked and seen as a lowly creature. Similarly, on the hierarchy of society, Janie and her fellow black women are depicted on the lowest rungs of society. Janie feels ashamed and frustrated when she sees the mule made fun of. She suddenly draws a parallel between herself, the mule, and the African American women in general. Callous, brutal treatment of the mule reflects the brutal unfair treatment that Janie faces as well.

Unlike the other people in the town, Janie is the only one concerned about the fate of the mule, perhaps unconsciously empathizing with the symbolic animal. As an African American woman, Janie recognizes that her voice and perspectives are worth very little , and she is powerless to stop the group of men from taunting; it takes Jody, a powerful male who has authority and offers money for the mule, for them to stop harassing it.

Her monologue is reflective of not only the plight of African American women , but also of African Americans as a group. Despite their technical liberation from the white man, the white men have already wrought havoc. All but Janie. Jody is a man of wealth, but he struggles to display his love adequately-he does not know how to show it properly.

Instead, his love is manifested in his purchases , and he buys things with his money to show his love to Janie, who sadly does not understand. Although Joe initiates in saving the mule by purchasing its freedom from Matt and acts like he cares for its well-being, he continues to exploit the mule like the others. Despite being called the next George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Joe specifically exploits the mule when it dies.

Even under Jody, Janie feels that she is physically oppressed-having to tie up her hair and not talking with other citizens-like the mule is physically deprived to work nonstop. Ultimately, this association functions as a microcosm for the greater meaning of the nove l — the need of improving the humiliating and helpless role of a black American woman in the society of the s. The obvious comparison between an overworked, maltreated, and yet still stubborn mule reveals the undying hope and persistent independence of the black women, who continued to dream of mutual respect despite the beatings and ultimatums of their husbands.

Even though Zora Hurston blames the black men for silencing the black women, she views the white man as the underlying cause of their misfortunes.

Because the white landlords degrade the African American men, crumple their dignity, and make it impossible for them to express their rage without facing drastic consequences, they motivate quiet hatred. And there is nothing in the world more dangerous than long suppressed emotions that ultimately, as Langston Hughes had foreseen, explode in violence. When these downtrodden men return home, they feel an understandable desire to spill out their malice on someone.

So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man huh pick it up. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.