Journal 7: Quotes

1.     "She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight." (Hurston, 11) I chose this quote as an example of alliteration, although it has a lot more significance. This is the first moment the motif of springtime and blooms appears, which later becomes a symbol of what Janie wants love to be. All of her future relationships and marriages are compared to this scene, or at least to blossoms and springtime. This quote also uses a lot of imagery to really create a frantic, over-sexualized mood, which also connects to what Janie believes love to be.
2. "He did represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon." (Hurston, 29)  This quote relates to the last quote. This brings back the motif of the blooming pear tree, and turns Joe into a symbol by applying the tree motif to him. By saying Joe is not the blooming tree, it shows that he is not what Janie wants for love. But he does represent the horizon, which means that he symbolizes adventure and a journey. Which of course is true later on.
3. "Her hanging bosom and stomach and buttocks and legs that draped down over her ankles." (Hurston, 119)  This quote represents imagery, but also connects to earlier in the book when Joe is calling Janie old. He says that her backside is hanging down to her knees, and this is a strikingly similar description of a different woman. The comparison of the two contrasts them and highlights their differences, since Janie is still so beautiful and the other woman was old. There is also this continual, foreboding motif of age. There is a constant reminder of Janie's age: How young she is, and now, how old she is, or how old she will become.