Journal #1

The narrator, from the beginning, seems to be omniscient. The narrator speaks with a lofty tone, stating (in the first two paragraphs) an inherent difference between men and women. (S)he states this as fact, although it is not proven. This omniscient presence is apparent through the rest of the chapter, as the narrator describes the actions and motivations of the other characters. The narrator notes how the men stare at Janie for her body; the women stare at her because of her clothes; Pearl laughs only because she doesn't know what else to do; etc. Only an omniscient, godlike character can be all-knowing like that.

As for Janie, at first, I expected her to somehow be better than the other women. The other women were jealous of her, as the omniscient narrator stated, and so I expected her to be more intelligent or higher status or special in some way. But, while she is better-looking and richer than the other women, she does not seem to be more educated or more cultured or much different than the women. She speaks in the same dialect and tells 'rough jokes' and doesn't seem altogether very different than the other women, even though the narrator sets her up as being someone worth envying. This surprised me. Despite her money and her looks, she doesn't seem to be (at this point) much different in nature. This could lead to some thematic ideas later.