Character Analysis: Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

As we observe in the media, many marriages nowadays end in bitter divorce. Similarly in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford experiences marriages that end just as badly, if not worse. However these marriages allow her to develop and grow as a woman from the differing personalities and beliefs between her husbands. For example, Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks, believes that women are objects to be utilized. On the other hand, Janie’s second husband, Jody Starks, sees women as objects to be displayed, but Janie’s third husband, Tea Cake, believes that women are just as capable as men are. As a result of Jody and Tea Cake’s contrasting personalities and viewpoints on women, the respective marriages

Firstly, Jody promises the best for Janie, proclaiming to provide a pampered and proper life for her. For example, when he first meets Janie and she reveals the amount of farm work Logan assigns her to do and Jody says, "You ain’t got no mo’ business wid uh plow than uh hog is got wid uh holiday...A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yo’self and eat p’taters dat other folks plant just special for you" (29). Jody outwardly expresses his belief that such a beautiful and delicate woman like Janie shouldn’t be doing hard labor. He instead believes that Janie should be pampered, resting in the cool shade with food that others made for her. This idea of spoiling women is repeated when Jody proposes to Janie, promising to treat her well and “make a proper wife” out of her. Thus it can be concluded that Jody did intend to make Janie happy from his various promises of the

Eventually, the vastly differing attitudes of Jody and Tea Cake lead the respective marriages into different outcomes. Jody's arrogant personality and abandonment eventually causes the marriage to go awry, unlike how Tea Cake's caring and respectful nature lead to the marriage's success. Firstly, Jody's neglect and disregard for Janie puts immense strain on the quality of their relationship. For example, his isolation of Janie from the townsfolk and festivities was born out of concern for his personal image. However, Janie's isolation causes a sense of cold loneliness, and when she attempts to bring her concerns to Jody, he blatantly dismisses her feelings. Even going so far as to guilt her by saying, "You oughta be glad, 'cause dat makes uh big woman outta you" (46). Not only does Jody dismiss Janie's very understandable concerns, he even intensifies the feeling. Hence Jody’s disregard and lack of attention towards Janie is what causes their marriage to