Carson Talley
Honors English 3
April 13th, 2014
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
“Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to
them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for
failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next” -Ben Carson. In
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a series of obstacles involving slavery and the search
for freedom continually affects Jane Pittman and those around her. Every character within the
novel has their own unique way of facing these obstacles, but none of them are as effective as
Miss Jane's "eye on the prize" mentality.
Tee Bob Samson is a sensitive man, who when faced with obstacles, allows his emotions
to control his actions without thinking the problem through rationally. This is shown in many
ways throughout the book. The first example of this is when Tee Bob’s half brother Timmy is
exiled from the plantation because of his mischievous and stubborn attitude. This creates an
internal struggle for Tee Bob because he does not understand why his brother has to leave after
being beaten by a white overseer on the plantation. “Tee Bob wanted Timmy. Timmy was his
brother there with him. He used to come back there in that kitchen every day and talk about
Timmy. He could understand why Timmy had to saddle his horse, he could understand why
Timmy had to ride behind him; but he couldn’t understand why Timmy had to leave home after a
white man had beat him with a stick” (144). Tee Bob cannot see the racial factor that is
influencing Robert to kick Timmy off the plantation, and is confused by why it is happening. Tee
Bob also struggled internally because he was so in love with Mary Agnes and didn’t understand
why their race kept them apart. “But instead of falling in his arms, she told him the same thing
Jimmy Caya had told him earlier. She was a nigger, he was white, and they couldn’t have
nothing together. He couldn’t understand that, he thought love was much stronger than one drop
of African blood. But she knowed better. She knowed the rules” (191). This hurt Tee Bob so
badly that rather than face his problem rationally, he let his emotions get the best of him,
resulting in his suicide. “’And we know that letter is true, don’t we, Robert?’ Jules Raynard said.
‘Because we know what everybody else know in this parish, and that’s he loved her. And
because she couldn’t love him back, because she knowed better, he killed himself. We know
that, don’t we, Robert?’” (186). It would be simply ridiculous to say that the way Tee Bob
Samson handles the obstacles life throws at him is successful because his way of facing obstacles
is giving up and killing himself. This is simply the worst way to handle a situation like this.
Joe Pittman possesses a quality which helps him when facing small problems, but still
does not seem to live up to Miss Jane Pittman’s way of facing obstacles. Joe’s method involves
finding a way around issues, and pushing them back to deal with at another time. This is shown
in the book when Colonel Dye claims that Joe owes him one hundred and fifty dollars, which is
an amount that Joe does not have. “We sat up all night trying to think what we ought to do next.
Joe was set on leaving, no holding him back, but he couldn’t leave and not pay Colonel Dye his
money.” (82). Although it would have been easier for Joe to give up because of the large amount
of debt that he was in, he was able to borrow the money from his new boss, pushing it off to pay
later. This didn’t satisfy the Colonel, however, and he demanded that Joe pay interest as well.
Because Joe still didn’t have the money, and no longer had a place to borrow it from, he sold
nearly all of his belongings in order to pay back the interest. This shows how even though he was
not able to fix problems in the moment, he was at least persistent enough to postpone them to
deal with when he would be in a better position.
Another obstacle that Joe Pittman faces is his desire to be a well respected man that
people look up to for his skill even though he is a black man. This is an issue because black men
during the time’s culture were only allowed to work in certain fields. Joe acquired a job that he
actually enjoyed, breaking horses. He enjoys this job greatly because not only does it show great
masculinity, but he is also very skilled at it. Joe works so diligently at his job because he wants
those around him to see more than just his skin color. Because of all of his hard work, Joe
eventually works his way up to Chief Breaker on the ranch, a position which comes with a great
deal of respect. “After we had been there two, three years we had already paid back the hundred
and fifty dollars Joe had borrowed. Couple more years, I thought we had enough and we ought to
go out and find a little place of our own. Joe said it wasn’t that easy. He was too valuable to just
pack up and quit like that. And what would he do? Farm? He didn’t want to do no more farming.
No, he wanted to ride horses. He was good at it and he liked it” (88). His hard work and
persistence continues to put Joe in great positions, but his controlling way of dealing with
problems quickly gets the best of him.
Unfortunately, while Joe does manage to show his manhood, his manly desire for control
gets the better of him. Instead of taking it easy on the ranch because he has gotten older, Joe sets
a goal to break the black stallion. Although Jane objects his actions, and fears that he is in
danger, Joe decides to take control and attempt to break the stallion anyway. “They said Joe had
cornered and roped the stallion, but with no saddle to tie the rope on, the stallion had jecked him
off his horse and had dragged him through the swamps. When they found him he was tangled up
in the rope, already dead” (98). Joe’s desire to constantly control every situation around him
leads to his death when the black stallion kills him. Joe Pittman’s method of overcoming
obstacles is much more successful than the method used by Tee Bob Samson, because rather
than giving up, Joe is able to continue to persist even overcoming small problems along the way.
However, this is not the best way to face your life problems because if you manage to let your
need to control get the best of you, you will end up getting nowhere in the end.
Finally, there is Miss Jane Pittman herself. She is a woman who shows a persistent “eye
on the prize” mentality throughout all 110 years of her life. When faced with problems, Jane
pushes her emotions to the side, and focuses on reaching the goals she has set for herself, a
quality which should be admired by everyone. The first example of the way Jane avoids her
emotions in times of pure tragedy is when Big Laura along with others are killed by a group of
patrollers just after they are freed. “I didn’t cry, I couldn’t cry. I had seen so much cruelty in
those ‘leven or twelve years of my life I hardly knowed how to cry. I went back to Ned and
asked him if he wanted to go to Ohio with me. He nodded.” (23). Jane Pittman had just
witnessed the death of everyone she had been seeking freedom with, but instead of breaking
down and crying, she acted as though it was a way of life and continued on her search for Mr.
Brown in Ohio, this time taking young Ned with her. Her persistence continues to show in this
search when everyone she meets tells her she’d be better off going back to the plantation. She
continues to walk until she physically cannot walk any longer, which is when she stays with Ned
at Mr. Bone’s plantation, working for him in the fields.
Jane Pittman also shows this persistence throughout the book by way of her poor life of a
black woman. Jane lived in a constant state of poverty living in small empty cabins. “All we
found in that cabin was two little beds and a firehalf. Beds was two wide boards nailed against
the wall like a shelf. Mattress was dry grass sewed in ticking. We had no table, no chairs, no
benches-you sat down on your bed or you sat down on the bare ground. After I had been there
awhile I got the carpenter to make me a bench. Then I got him to make me a table. That was the
only furniture I had for the next ten, twelve years.” (61). Even though it is obvious that Jane
deserves much more in life, she never once stops to complain, and is rather thankful for every
little thing she did have. This is a great way to overcome obstacles because even though Jane
wasn’t always able to have nice things or live a privileged life, she continues to work hard
hoping that one day she will be better off rather than become lazy knowing that her slave
background would affect her economic position for the rest of her life.
The final obstacle that Jane faces in her life is when she learns that she is not able to have
children. Although most women in this situation would break down in sorrow, Jane decides to
turn the situation around and make the most of it. Jane’s first non-biological child in the book is
Ned, whom she begins taking care of when she, herself was only a child. “’Not in here. Fifty
cents of that coming back to me to school that boy over there if- he wake up long enough. What
he carrying them rocks for?’ ‘Secesh killed his mama. That’s what’s left.’ ‘Fifty cents to school
him,’ Bone said.” (60). Jane cares so much about Ned that she is willing to pay for his schooling
even though she barely has enough money to pay for herself. Not only has Jane acted as a mother
to Ned ever since she was a child herself, but she has also been a mother to Joe’s children. “I told
him that if he didn’t want me no more that was all right, I would understand. But all he said was,
‘Ain’t we all been hurt by slavery? If you just say you’ll help me raise my two girls, I’ll be
satisfied.’ He was a real man, Joe Pittman was.” (77). Jane also acted as a mother figure to the
community around her. Jane played a major role in Jimmy Aaron, or ‘The One’s life. “We
watched him every move he made. We made sure he made just the right ones. If he tried to go
afoul-and he did at times-we told him what he had heard and what he had seen.” (206). Jane had
a way of guiding Jimmy throughout his life so that he is able to be as successful as possible. Jane
Pittman manages to take care of others as though they are her children, even when her heart is
breaking because she is unable to have her own. This is one of the greatest ways Miss Jane’s
persistence is shown because she never complains about her inability to have children; instead,
she fills the void in her heart with the love from other children in her life. What better way to
overcome an obstacle than to find another way to face the problem?
In life, it is much easier to break down or give up in times of great tragedy or difficulty. If
you focus on staying persistent no matter what the problem in front of you, and not let your
emotions or controlling nature get the best of you, each and every outcome you receive will be a
positive one. This is shown by Miss Jane Pittman’s “eye on the prize” attitude throughout the
novel, in which she continually finds ways to face the problems in front of her. Anyone can learn
from Miss Jane Pittman, as she has 110 years of successful persistence under her belt.