Submission

What if Janie HAD submitted to Jody? Would it have improved their marriage? The Bible says for women to "submit to their husbands as to Christ."
Its a hard question, especially since it involves such a hard man. He was only interested in his own gain and didn't respect Janie at all, expecting her to act in a way contrary to her own interests. Submitting to him would have meant setting aside her own pride and essentially allowing his mandate to form her identity. Janie was not willing to do that. It came to the point where she had to decide which one she valued more--her marriage or her identity. In the book she values her identity. I think that if Janie had submitted with dignity it might have softened his heart, allowing her to reclaim some of her independence, as well as saved their marriage.
How Janie responded in the book was purely natural, however; no one wants to be ordered around like a dog. It would have taken a supernatural change in Janie for her to obey as the Bible requires.
And I think that applies to real life as well. Women need God's supernatural power to submit as He wants them to submit to their husbands, which I believe is in dignity, love, and respect--dignity within themselves and love and respect for God and their husbands. This is especially true in situations where the man is overbearing and unreasonable. In other words, people should be careful before marrying They might be like Jody. A woman should spend a lot of time getting to know the man, praying about her relationship with the man, as well as get a lot of advice from others before marrying him. It would save her a lot of pain.