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How Is Janie Presented In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston Janie finds herself in two marriages; One that was chosen for her and one that she chose herself. Both of husbands contrast the other. Although neither of her marriages were very successful. Despite Janie’s desire to marry her true love she is unsuccessful in finding a suitable husband. In the beginning of the novel Janie has been arranged to marry a man thirty years older than her, Logan Killicks, by Nanny. Nanny arranges to marry the two because of her and Logan’s similarity in values. Most of the information presented about Logan Killicks is unpleasant. He is old and ugly compared to a youthful, beautiful Janie. He shows Janie little affection in the beginning of the marriage …show more content…

Jody values Janie as a trophy wife. Leadership and dignity cause Joe to neglect Janie. This neglect is evident at the earliest stages of their relationship. When Joe and Janie are newlyweds traveling to Eatonville, Joe’s ambitions drive him. Unlike Logan killicks, Joe does not “make many speeches with rhymes to [Janie]” (Ch 5 pp. 42). Instead of paying attention to Janie he is too busy piecing together his ideas for the town of eatonville. Janie soon realizes that Joe is more involved with his role in the town than in her. Janie becomes unhappy because she feels as of Jody is too consumed in his work to spend time with her. Jody tries to control Janie giving them a type of master servant relationship. He treats Janie like his object rather than a person. He isolates Janie from the townspeople out of jealousy claiming "He didn't want her talking after such trashy people” (CH 6 pp. 65). Because Joe values his status and money, He has plans of making Janie nothing more than his trophy wife. Joe’s efforts to restrict Janie and the way he treated her like an object caused their relationship

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s flaws about love continuously brought her to the same ending with all of her husbands, no matter how long the marriage lasted. In The Odyssey, Calypso was trapped on an island to fall in love with men who washed ashore. The fatality of her faults was her over affection and her need for love while being so alone on her island, Ogygia. Their weaknesses are exact opposites, specifically in their relationships with men. The flaws are role in relationship, attachment to men, and lastly, their submissiveness to men.

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In her epiphany from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie realizes her intrinsic capacity as an individual, and frees herself from Jody’s covetous ways in the act of letting down her hair. In the quote, “She tore off the kerchief from her plentiful hair... the glory was there,” Janie’s hair symbolizes her power and strength because it holds glory. By Janie releasing her hair, she finally notices the greatness that she has, which allows her to now view herself as eminent individual whom has independence. Because Jody made her tie her hair up as a device to hinder her individuality and identity in their marriage, he is intimidated by her reluctance to comply with his controlling demands.

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It’s been shown that Joe is very self-absorbent and only cares about his reputation. His superiority complex is what is ruining him and everything decent thing around him. Joe is constantly mixing around his values and turning them into something horrible. He is so worried about being perceived as a weak man that he puts all of that into making sure Janie is perfect, “But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store.

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