Analysis Of Janie In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurtson’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is centered around the life of a woman named Janie who struggles to find her voice. Janie is taken under the care of Nanny, who tries to ensure that Janie is provided with a more promising and fulfilling life than the one Nanny herself has lived. Yet, Janie still faces a life of hardships and suppression. These factors become setbacks for Janie and almost prevent her from living a meaningful life. However, throughout the novel, Janie pursues to finally determine her self-worth and find an everlasting love.

to stand up to Joe when they get into arguments, although Joe continues to refuse to see or speak with her. As Joe grows ill, and close to death, Janie forces him to listen to what she has to say:

Throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford searches for unconditional and fulfilling love. She experiences different degrees of love throughout her life, primarily through her three marriages. As she strives to find her own sense of love and independence, Janie encounters judgement from the townspeople during various points in the novel. In the novel, Zora Neale Hurston uses diction and symbolism in order to prove that one must develop their own sense of independence before they can obtain their desired love, which may involve one going outside of their expected role or comfort zone within society.

He wins her heart with his energy, and willingness to make Janie his equal. Tea Cake is the only husband that actually takes a genuine interest in Janie. He takes her hunting, fishing, and plays checkers with her. She especially enjoys playing chess, the fact that he considers her intelligent enough to learn such a game shows that he thinks more of Janie than Logan or Joe ever did. The town disapproves of Janie and Tea Cake because he is poor and younger than her. They have the impression that he is just after her money. Janie and Tea Cake leave the town of Eatonville and travel to a town called Jacksonville where Tea Cake has work. The sense of gender equality is very important to Janie in a relationship. Tea Cake asks Janie to work alongside him in the Everglades fields. Logan and Joe both wanted her to work, but she resented it. The difference is that Logan wanted Janie to do hard labor because he thought of her as an object like a workhorse. Joe wanted Janie to work in the store, which she also disliked because Joe just wanted to publicly display her as his trophy wife. Tea Cake’s attitude about Janie working is completely different. He gives her the choice of working and doesn’t command her. Janie goes to work the next day, “So the very next morning Janie got ready to pick beans along with Tea Cake. There was a suppressed murmur when she picked up a basket and went to work. She was already getting to be a special case on the muck. It was generally assumed that she thought herself too good to work like the rest of the women and that Tea Cake "pomped her up tuh dat." But all day long the romping and playing they carried on behind the boss’s back made her popular right away.”(133) This is the first relationship that Janie doesn’t care to work. She actually likes working alongside Tea Cake. As time passes the town gets word of a hurricane coming. All the people start fleeing to different places, but the boss

The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the life of a beautiful female named Janie Crawford. Throughout the story, Janie demonstrates the struggle to escape being shaped into becoming a submissive woman. She encounters three men who each attempt to make her a submissive wife. In each of her relationships with these men, she is either obliged or pressured to follow their orders. Although Janie struggles to hold on to her independence, she manages to persevere every time. Janie is a strong independent woman who does not allow herself to be suppressed.

In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their eyes were watching God the main character Janie is on a quest for self-fulfillment. Of Janie’s three marriages, Logan and Joe provide her with a sense of security and status. However, only her union with Teacake flourishes into true love.

In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Janie is on a quest. Janie has been with three men throughout the story- Logan Killicks, Joe starks (Jody), and Tea Cake. Each of these men have helped Janie try and complete her journey. Throughout her relationships she grew more and more independent because she did not have her grandmother to rely on. She is on a journey in hope of becoming an independent women and seeking love.

Joe paints this “perfect” image of Janie and ensures that all of Janie’s actions are in line with his values, this once again deprives Janie of her autonomy as she is not allowed to express herself or do anything without the approval of her husband, and she is also simply a trophy to him and the rest of her community. Janie grows resentment and bitterness toward her abusive husband, but never stands up for herself until the very end of Joe’s life. Janie’s retaliation after twenty years of marriage implies that she has taken control of her life once again, she grew tired of Joe’s ridicule and abuse, and wanted

This marriage not only robs Janie of her voice, but also her agency and independence. Nanny believes that silence is necessary for a woman's survival in a world dominated by men. She tells Janie, "De black woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see" (Hurston 14). This statement highlights the belief that women, particularly black women, are seen as inferior and are expected to remain silent and submissive. Janie's silence in this marriage is a form of control and oppression, as she is not allowed to express her thoughts and feelings.

     In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the reader is given a particular glimpse into Janie's life with reference to the men she has known.  Janie's three men are all very different, yet they were all Janie's husband at one point in her life.  Although they all behaved differently, in lifestyle as well as their relationship with Janie, they all shared certain similarities.

     The plan for Janie’s future begins with her lack of having real parents. Hurston builds up a foundation for Janie that is bound to fall like a Roman Empire. Janie’s grandmother, whom she refers to as “Nanny” takes the position as Janie’s guardian. The problem begins here for Janie because her Nanny not only spoils her, but also makes life choices for her. Nanny is old, and she only wants the best for her grandchild, for she knows that the world is a cruel place. Nanny makes the mistake of not allowing Janie to learn anything on her own. When Janie was sixteen years old, Nanny wanted to see her get married. Although Janie argued at first, Nanny insisted that Janie get married. “’Yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh… Ah wants to see you married right away.’” (Page 12). Janie was not given a choice in this decision. Her Nanny even had a suitor picked out for her. Janie told herself that she would try to make the best of the situation and attempt to find love in her marriage to Logan Killicks. But, as time went by, Janie realized that she still did not have any feelings of what she had considered to be love in her husband.

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, love plays a pivotal role in the life of the protagonist, Janie. Janie is exposed early in life to all the facets of love. From an early point in the novel until the very end, Janie searches for a man to fulfill her childhood concept of love. It is through this search for love that Janie finds the confidence and security in herself to become independent. Therefore, Janie’s quest to find love is not only a fulfillment of a childhood dream, but also a journey to find who she really is.

When the novel reaches its climax with the death of Tea Cake, Janie transforms into a fulfilled character who begins to live a life of acceptance. The death of Tea Cake closes the door on Janie’s third marriage, however, that marriage taught Janie more about herself than any other caregiver. As Tea Cake and Janie begin to spend more time with one and other, the townspeople of Eatonville grow anxious. During her marriage with Joe, Janie is subjugated to severe classism which separates her from the townsfolk. When Janie begins to act like a regular woman and not a noble, the town is surprised, as Pheoby mentions “Janie, everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout how dat Tea Cake is draggin’ you round tuh places you ain’t used tuh” (Hurston 112). With Tea Cake, Janie experiences more adventure and more life than with anyone else. Every day brings a new adventure for their relationship, for example:

Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the story of Janie’s journey towards spiritual enlightenment and her development of individuality, largely through Janie’s relationships with others. Hurston uses the themes of power, control, abuse, and respect, in Janie’s relationships with Nanny, Killicks, Starks, and Tea Cake, to effectively illustrate how relationships impact identity and self-growth.

     As two different people, Janie and Tea Cake are allowed to live their lives as equals. When living with Joe, Janie is never allowed to do things such as speaking her mind, playing games, or doing anything which is not completely ladylike. Tea Cake encourages her to do things which were previously not open to her, such as playing chess, speaking openly about her feelings, and hunting. He teaches Janie to shoot and hunt wild game.