2. Christ Figure- When Joe Starks emerges majestically from the far end of the road only looking straight ahead, Janie "ran to the pump and jerk[s] the handle" so the stranger could drink a cool glass of water. Later as the two speak, Joe Starks tell Janie his goal, his mission, to be a big voice among the blacks since he had no voice among the whites who ran things in "Georgy," and it took him nearly thirty years to fulfill his goal. He looks for a companion to join his quest.
Joe Starks action is reminiscent of Christ. The story of Starks asking Janie for water while he travels is similar to the story about Christ and the "Living Water" in the New Testament. Similarly, Starks is almost 30 to achieve and is recruiting Janie as a companion much like Christ and his disciples. Christ and Starks have the same mission and that is to be a big voice among the oppressed since both emerged from humble backgrounds- Starks being black and Christ being a Nazarene Jew.
Ironically, throughout the course of the novel Starks becomes less and less like a Christ figure when he is selected as the mayor dominates the whole town as well as belittling Janie.
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