Their Eyes Were Watching God Identity Analysis

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, men and women hold very different roles. Not only are women the weaker sex, but their worth is dependant on how powerful and high up their husband is. Because of this, women are forced to be silent and are not allowed an opinion. If a woman shows traits that are considered manly, such as intelligence, determination, or control, she is considered masculine, and therefore unattractive. From a very young age, the main character, Janie, is taught that in order to find a suitable husband, she needs to suppress her independent personality. As a result of this belief being engraved into her, Janie does not realize her worth, therefore she is involved three abusive relationships. For years, girls were taught to make themselves smaller so they do not threaten the male’s reputation. The reader sees that Janie is an example the mistreatment of females through Janie’s three marriages.

Within the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God the main character Janie Crawford came into many relationships throughout her life, but three of those many made a drastic change in her life. With her first marriage to Mr. Logan Killicks which was not a man she wanted to marry at such a young age. Her second marriage being to Mr. Joe Starks, who she loved. Although their love was soon to run short. Her last and most unforgotten marriage was to Mr. Vergible Woods also known as Tea Cake.

The principles in “How to Read Like a Literature Professor” by Thomas C. Foster can be applied to Zora Neale Hurtston’s novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Most of the principles from the Thomas Fosters book can be applied to Zora Hurtson’s novel. The principles in “Their Eyes are Watching God” include; its all about sex, a symbol can be anything, geography and rain doesn’t just mean rain.

She felt free in a way but she knew that if she showed her new found freedom that the town would judge her. Finally she stopped mourning and she started seeing Teacake. She wore her hair down and wore blue dresses. She was no longer scared to show how liberated she actually felt. But as she predicted she was ridiculed and judged. The town felt as though she should still be mourning since Joe had only been dead a couple of months. Some even confronted Janie about it. But after all the harsh words toward Janie she realized she did not have to please them. She became more confident with herself and disregarded what everyone was saying and just focused on her and Tea Cake's relationship. The words the town said about her made Janie live for her and realized she could never make everyone happy with

After gradually increasing their time spent together and the strength of their relationship together, they move together to the muck. Living there, Janie sees an improvement in her life compared to being tied down in the store by Jodie, but still, problems arise. One weekend, without apparent reason, Tea cake had whipped Janie. It wasn't done because “her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside of him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession”(147). Similar to her experiences of being beaten by Jodie, Janie simply keeps quiet and raises no noise about it. She continues to love Tea Cake, without any hostility towards him. At some point in her life, Janie must stand up for herself, and not just continue herself to become victimized by men who clearly are misusing her. Even when Tea Cake had his “affair” with Nunkie the Chunkie, and Janie was outspokenly upset, she refused to truly confront the problem. She screams at Tea Cake, “You done hurt mah heart, now you come wid uh lie tuh bruise mah ears!”(137). This seemed like the first instance where Janie finally became more than just self aware. Unfortunately, after saying this, she succumbs to Tea Cake once again, and releases her disapprobation for what Tea Cake had

The classic notion of the male protagonist seeking a sense of identity is common in most novels. However, Zora Neale Hurston disputes that in her Their Eyes were Watching God. Readers follow Janie, a female protagonist, who encounters three men, each either supported or hampered her in her lifelong desire to seek independence. The first of three men is Logan Killicks who wanted Janie to be a traditional, submissive housewife that obeys the husband's commands. Janie left Killicks after meeting Jody Starks who charms Janie with his ambition. After twenty years of marriage to Starks, Janie met Tea Cake, a rather young man who is exciting and respects Janie. In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is restricted in reaching her goal

The famous ogre, Shrek, once explained, “Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers... You get it? We both have layers” when trying convey that “there's a lot more to ogres than people think” (Shrek). This goes the same for complex characters in literature; they are multilayered figures who possess contradictory traits at the same point in time. An exemplary representation would be Janie Starks from Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. As a rare character in the time period, Janie’s complexity is broadcasted through her contrasting characteristics of being opinionated yet malleable.

As time goes on Janie realizes Tea Cake is just what she needs, he is different than her other husbands. He truly cares for her and he understands her better than her previous husbands. He doesn’t make her do anything she

The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston discussed many important themes and topics. Throught my reading, there was one specific topic that stood out to me: One’s search for identity. In the novel, the main character, Janie Star, spends this entire book trying to figure out who she is. Now there are other things Janie figures out along the way too. For example, she learns lessons about prejudice and racism and that these two things can come from inside the community as well as from outside the community.

I read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, copyright in 1937 and has a total of 193 pages.

For someone to find who they are, they need go through the tough hurdles that life puts in front of them. To find one’s identity, it would take several hardships within their lives until they find who they are. Identity is a complex idea that takes several years and events in someone’s life to discover. The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston portrays a protagonist that went through many different, and difficult times in her life that eventually lead her to find her courage to be who she truly was. Despite the criticism this novel may have received, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston portrays a theme of identity and the struggle to find it, with the help of literary devices.

The title, Their Eyes Were Watching God, symbolizes the omnipotence of the God, who controls the fate of Janie, highlighting the irrelevance of people’s free will, especially African Americans. It’s indicated that the life of Janie from companionship with Joe to that with Tea Cake is all determined by the God. However, “watching God,” an attitude of Janie, contrasts with the main conformity of African American perspective.

Although it started out with playful flirting and physical attraction, as their relationship progressed, Jody’s power dominated their relationship and suppressed Janie - creating an even stronger fracture in their marriage. He did not allow her to speak, wear her long, straight hair down, or express her emotions as a way of shaping her into the type of woman he wanted, rather than accept her for who she was. Janie said, “Ah run off tuh keep house wid you in uh wonderful way. But you wasn’t satisfied wid me de way

Another example, where Janie struggles to find her voice is with her second husband Jody Starts, a man who starves for power and the mayor of Eatonville. Jody rarely allows Janie to speak her mind, participate in social

In Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston, the main character, Janie, believes in the idea of love after watching a bee pollinating a flower. Out of all Janie's ex husbands, Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods would have been the best husband for Janie.