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Why Is Janie Crawford From Their Eyes Were Watching God?

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If you’ve ever seen Pixar’s Up, read Night by Elie Wiesel, or heard of Allen Ginsberg, you’re already acquainted with some perfect examples of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This means you’ll also understand why Janie Crawford from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is such a relatable character-- she’s trying to claw her way through the Hierarchy, just like the aforementioned examples, and just like the rest of us. Maslow’s theory is presented in the form of a pyramid which illustrates the point that “people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some take precedence over others” (McLeod). Within the five sections of the pyramid are three groups of needs: basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment needs. …show more content…

She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her” (Hurston 11). Janie wants to be able to “struggle with life” and find her place in the world, which shows her entering the third level of the pyramid. In addition, we see her chasing after the second part of this level of the pyramid, which is love. “Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean. That was before the golden dust of pollen had beglamored his rags in her eyes” (12). By emerging into this next level of needs, the way she views the world is changing, and she suddenly finds herself aware of her attraction to Johnny. In addition, she kisses him, which illustrates further how she tries to move from the second level, safety, to the third level, love and belongingness. After Nanny catches Janie kissing Johnny, her life changes dramatically. We see Janie unhappy in her first marriage and realizing that in this marriage, her love and belonging needs will not be met. When she meets Joe, she doesn’t see the pear tree, but she sees another way to achieve love and belonging, which is “the horizon.” She believes marrying Joe represents truly love, and she will finally achieve the third step of the pyramid. As we know, this does not turn out to be true. Joe forces her to tie up her hair, he refuses to let her

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