In defense of Nanny
There was some debate in our class on the selfishness/selflessness of Nanny. Certainly Nanny’s actions had a negative effect on Janie’s life, but I believe she acted in Janie’s interest, and truly thought the marriage she pushed her into was the best thing for her. Let’s discuss.
I’m going to start by recapping Nanny’s life, for context. When she was younger she was a slave, was raped by a slave owner, and had his child. This child, whom the reader can tell Nanny cares greatly about, grew up and at seventeen, was also raped, and then the two of them became estranged. Now, at the end of her life, Nanny’s primary commitment is raising Janie, her granddaughter, the product of two generations of traumatic sexual experience.
That history provides a clear reason for Nanny to have issues regarding sex and love, which is arguably the main area where she and Janie clash. Janie wants to pursue love, but Nanny sees only danger there. In her mind, a kiss from Johnny Taylor is a “laceration”. So when Janie expresses a desire to seek such lacerations for the sake of it, Nanny reacts violently. That was extreme, but Nanny has gone through extreme trauma, and likely has extreme reactions when she pictures Janie exploring sexuality. So there’s my defense of Nanny’s anger in that scene.
As for her decision to pressure Janie into marrying Logan? That was clearly a move for the financial stability of her granddaughter. Nanny has already taken steps to provide Janie with stability in the future, such as saving up for the property they live on at the beginning of the novel. Clearly it’s a priority for her. And it just makes sense that Nanny, someone who has seemingly little to no happiness from love or sex, would only see financial benefits from marriage. Through that lens her pressuring of Janie is an act of love. Even though Janie later was very angry at her for it, and that makes sense, it seems clear to me that Nanny was just doing her best.
Now here’s the controversial part. “Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate.” That line. A plea from Nanny to Janie to take her advice, for her sake. That could be interpreted a few ways - a method to convince Janie to listen? A selfish request? Both could be true, but honestly, I think Nanny might be entitled to a bit of selfishness, and that one line, and her possible desire to die with some amount of peace, doesn’t negate all she’s done for Janie.
Hi Erin, great post! I definitely think it was easy for us in class to label Nanny as a backwards old woman who is pushing Janie to take the safer, less free route. While this argument has merits, yours does too. Nanny's responses aren't just "old-fashioned," she has strong reasons and experiences that explain her behavior. She is trying to best look out for Janie, even if it doesn't appear as the most fun way.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. Janie's grandmother's morals may not have been in line with Janie's own, but she was absolutely convinced that she was helping Janie. And as far as we know, she may have helped her a great deal. Since we don't have a way of knowing what would have happened to Janie had she not married Logan, no other example of a woman from her home town who waited around before being married off, we really can't say. She certainly didn't meet a great or happy situation in the marriages she first met, but she was given financial stability, and a way of life safe from physical harm outside of the abuse from her spouses (and this was basically taken for granted by most back then, as we saw. The abuse was obviously bad, but Janie may have met even worse if she had been alone, without an income or family, etc, after her grandmother died). Basically, I would say that her grandmother had seen the worst possibilities by that point and may have had some sense or at least understandable logic in rushing Janie into a stable situation.
ReplyDeleteprops for articulating all of the things I could think of that were going for Nanny in this situation and more. I agree wholly with your main point. As for the controversial part, I originally felt that that line suggested emotional manipulation by Nanny to get Janie to capitulate, but then again, Nanny did seem to be frail and may just have been speaking truthfully. I feel that I have no right to blame Nanny and no right to blame Janie for hating her. Ultimately the rapists and slaveowners are at fault.
ReplyDeleteRarely do you see a "devil's advocate" blog post, especially one with good reasoning. I agree that Nanny did what she thought was right but I never actually considered whether it was the correct choice. Great blog.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that Nanny's actions were justified based on her own experiences. She wanted to keep Janie from having to endure the horrible sexual trauma that she and Janie's mother did, and make sure she was able to live in a stable environment and situation, unlike Janie's mother. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this book for the first time, my first reaction to Nanny's wishes for Janie was that she was just being overprotective. However, after reflecting and reading this post, I completely agree with what you're saying here. Given the horrific experiences she's endured with sexual trauma, it's completely reasonable for her to act the way she did, and it ultimately shows how much she cares about Janie and wants the best for her.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a really well-written post, and I absolutely agree with you! I think it’s also really worth noting that after Janie returns to visit Nanny and asks her advice on fixing a marriage devoid of love, the book takes time to describe the deep, private sadness that Nanny feels at placing Janie, who is her whole world, into this situation. In addition to all the sacrifices you describe to ensure Janie’s safety and happiness, Nanny seems to understand her granddaughter’s dreams, and wishes she could do more to fulfill them.
ReplyDeleteHi Erin, this is a good blog post in which you captured and explained a topic that caused some confusion and discussion in both classes. Nanny's pressuring of Janie to be married is both from an extremely traumatic standpoint, as well as a place of love. In a way, Janie is the first "thing" or person that Nanny has chosen. She did not get to choose love or marriage or happiness or even her own daughter. In all of her life, though, she chooses to choose Janie and what's best for her. I think that Nanny's line is a plea to Janie to provide her some amount of security in her death knowing that she did as much as she could for Janie and that it worked, at least to some extent. She tried to protect her daughter as much as she could, and regardless of her effort, Leafy was raped, an event that likely caused decades of residual guilt in Nanny and the desire to stop history from repeating itself for a third time. I do not think that Nanny's act is selfish, rather selfless and the truest, most real expression of love in this novel to and for Janie.
ReplyDeleteYou've changed my mind. I feel like perspective and history is always immensely important when looking at the rationale behind people's decisions. Although I blamed Nanny for "forcing" Janie into these abusive relationships, I didn't realize she absolutely had the best intentions for Janie until you brought up these points. Nanny has gone through so much, and she's just trying to give Janie a better life than she had. The intentions were there, even if things didn't go exactly how Nanny had planned. Even then, it's not Nanny's fault for not foreseeing all the abuse Janie would go through.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your defense of her. Nanny never had ill intentions, she simply put her trust in a man she thought would keep Janie safe. If anything, we should place the blame on Logan for his poor treatment of Janie, instead of blaming a woman who could not have known that putting Janie in this situation would lead to her being hurt.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I have to admit, upon first reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, I was a bit put off by Nanny's worldview and attempts to persuade Janie to live her like as she (Nanny) deemed most "responsible." However, after further contemplation, I too learned to empathize more with Nanny. Like you mentioned, she was coming from a place of concern and love, and unfortunately her own experiences have constricted her perspective on life. I love how you've outlined each instance throughout the novel where Nanny may have come across as "selfish" or "unnecessarily strict," and outlined a possibilities that defend her actions. Overall, great job!
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