TEWWG

30. "A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her." (pg. 57)

Janie feels the need to defend things that can't help themselves. This tells us something about her character. She is compassionate in a way that suggests that she is helpless too. She is not helpless though. There is something she can do about her relationship with Jody, but she is like the people of the town. Instead of thinking about what she could gain, she is afraid of what she might lose.