Had recently read Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and I've been pretty confused as to when Janie was born.
In one of the first chapters, we are told of Janie's origins through her maternal grandmother, Nanny. Back when she was a young, she was a slave at a "'big plantation close to Savannah,…'" ((Their Eyes Were Watching God. 16.). This seemed to have been in Georgia too. And while a slave, Nanny was assaulted by the plantation owner which resulted in her daughter, Leafy. At that time, "'Marse Robert's son had done been kilt at Chickamauga. So he grabbed his gun and straddled his best horse and went off wid de rest of de gray-headed men and young boys to drive de Yankees back into Tennessee'" (Their Eyes Were Watching God. 16.).
All I can get from Marse Robert and Chickamauga was the Battle Of Chickamauga that was from Sept. 18th-20th, 1863. Though none of Marse Robert's sons died at that time.
Then, after escaping the plantation and being out in the wilderness with baby Leafy, Nanny got word that "'…Sherman was comin' to meet de boats in Savannah, and all of us slaves was free….But it was a long time after dat befo' de Big Surrender at Richmond. Den de big bell ring in Atlanta and all de men in gray uniforms had to go to Moultrie, and bury their swords in de ground to show they was never to fight about slavery no mo'. So den we knowed we was free'" (Their Eyes Were Watching God. 18-19.).
So, going by history, Sherman and the Savannah boats was alluding to Sherman's March To Sea from Nov. 15-Dec. 21, 1964. A whole year of Nanny being in the wilderness with baby Leafy.
As for the surrender, it seems to have been alluding to The Fall Of Richmond on April 3rd, 1865. Leafy would've been 2 about 5 months later.
Not long after, Nanny and little Leafy went to West Florida where the former worked with the Washburn family. Then when Leafy was 17, she was assaulted by her schoolteacher (not sure if the teacher, himself, was black or white). As a result, Janie Crawford came to being. So, this would've made Janie's birthyear around 1880-1881.
Janie was 16 when made to marry her first husband, still 16-17 when she ran off to marry another. 20 years later, the second husband died. Thus, making Janie about 36-37. Not long after, she met and married Tea Cake who was 10-12 her junior. Then when at the marshes, a hurricane in Chapter 18 happened which indirectly led to Tea Cake's date and Janie's return to Eatonville within weeks or months.
Yet, during said hurricane, Janie says this:
"'We been tuhgether round two years'" (Their Eyes Were Watching God. 159). Thus, Janie should be around 38-39.
This is where things get confusing. Going by math, the infamous hurricane should be in 1918-1919 or 1920-1921. If that's the case then…why did the wikipedia page have this line here?:
"Suddenly, the area is hit by the great 1928 Okeechobee hurricane" (Their Eyes Were Watching God – Wikipedia ).
Was this a misunderstanding on Wikipedia's part? Did I miscalculate something? And, while we're on the subject was Janie's father a white schoolteacher or a black schoolteacher?
Despite being half-black and half-white, Leafy would've most likely gone to a school for black children as this was West Florida. But, given that she had blonde hair and grey eyes, she might have passed for white. Yet, Janie was darker than the white Washburn children along with having black (or at least dark-brown) hair. Not to mention, she had gone to school with black children.
This brings up another point in that Janie's schoolmates would bully her about her dad being hunted down by Mr. Washburn and the sheriff's hound dogs for Leafy's assault. Had Janie's dad been white, would Mr. Washburn and the sheriff still have that same energy. Even as "'…he (Janie's dad) wuz seen tryin' tuh git in touch wid mah mama later on so he could marry her'" (Their Eyes Were Watching God. 10).
Then again, had Janie's dad been black wouldn't there had been more public outrage? Especially if we take colorism into account. Going by Emmett Till, the Scottsboro Boys and "To Kill A Mockingbird", racist folk would find any excuse to kill a black man even if he had been wrongly accused.
Sorry for how long this is but I'm just a bit confused.
by Rosie-Love98