Book Post-Ch.2

Discussion Questions:
  1. Do you think that Nanny has the right to marry Janie off before she dies?
  2. Why do you think Nanny believes that colored women especially, are below everyone else in society?
  3. Did Nanny create a realistic future for her daughter/Janie?
  4. What do you think the blossoming pear tree might represent?
  5. Do you think Janie’s family's reputation with being rape victims will affect her?
-New Characters:
  • Nanny: determined and ambitious, born into slavery (in Savannah) believed things would be better off for Janie and herself if they didn’t reside on Mrs. Washburn’s property; Janie’s grandmother
  • Mrs. Washburn: A white employer who is very sympathetic as well as helpful; Nanny’s employer
  • Johnny Taylor: known to neighbors as lazy, and mediocre; kisses Janie under the pear tree
  • Leafy: born to a white slave owner and slave mother, and left Janie as an infant to accomplish her dreams; Nanny’s daughter, Janie’s mother
  • Logan Killicks: offers Janie protection and security of his age, a 60-acre potato farm, and wants to marry Janie. Is much older than Janie, and is the perfect candidate for Janie according to Nanny; Janie’s suitor.
Illustration:
Summary:

Janie starts off the chapter by explaining her upbringing and childhood. She explains in detail who she would plays with, go to school, and who raised her. As a child, Janie felt that she fit in with the kids that her grandmother used to take care of. Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, tried to shield her from all the things she had to deal with when she was Janie’s age and when Janie’s mother was her age. Once Nanny saw that Janie was grown and acting grown she decides to marry her off. Janie did not like this decision and tried to persuade her to change her mind or to give her more time to study. Her grandmother then told her the story of how they ended up in Florida and the story of her mother and how she got pregnant. Now Janie has to make a decision whether to listen to her grandmother and marry or go against her wishes.

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