Hear Ye Hear Ye The Mayor Has Died Chapters 7-10

I really enjoyed chapters 7-10. Janie is finally free from Jody's "rule". He dies and she has to appear sad when she is not. I have no remorse for Jody-he treated Janie like property instead of like a woman, it was necessary for him to die.





I imagine how Janie feels is a lot like Mrs. Mallard feels in "The Story of an Hour". Mrs. Mallard's husband was thought to have been killed and she felt free from his reign, much like Janie feels free from Jody's reign when he finally passes. But the town mourns Jody as a hero because he was the first mayor of their town, only Mr. Mallard's family mourns him. The only difference in how the women react to the news is Mrs. Mallard's husband isn't really dead and the shock of that news breaks her heart and kills her-Janie doesn't end up dead from a broken heart she ends up happy and free.







In a way Jody's death symbolizes Lincoln freeing the slaves to Janie. In my last post I talked about how ironic it was that the townspeople compared Jody to Abraham Lincoln for freeing the mule but keeping his wife captive. By dying he freed her much like by passing the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln freed the slaves. His death finally brings the Lincoln analogy full circle… Meaning he goes from being a secret slave master while freeing the mule to finally being a good and decent person by finally freeing his wife from "slavery".