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The Theme Of Janie's Epiphany In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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In her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston traces Janie’s quest for independence and the search of her self-confidence through events that happened before and after her epiphany immediately following Joe’s death. Throughout the novel Janie’s view of life, her independence, and her view of love changed exceedingly depending on who she was married to. This story centers around an important epiphany that Janie has when Joe dies; that personal discoveries and life experiences help people find themselves.

Before her revelation, when Janie is 16 years old, she experiences a moment of realization in she discovers new-found feelings about love, marriage, . Under the pear-tree, she has a perfect moment in nature, full of passion …show more content…

Killicks treats Janie very badly and overworks her, Janie decides to leave him for a new man named Joe. When Janie first meets Joe, she is astounded by his ambition, the way he carries himself, and his promises of fulfilling her dreams by giving her a new life of not having to do labor. As soon as Joe meets Janie he says to her, "You behind a plow! You ain’t got no mo’ business wid uh plow than uh hog is got wid uh holiday! You ain’t got no business cuttin’ up no seed p’taters neither. 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." (4.26 Hurston). By Joe comparing Janie to a “pretty doll-baby”, it suggests that he thinks Janie is some sort of an adorable object to be objectified, and for Janie not to be taken seriously. While he does say since Janie is pretty she should not work so hard, he does base his first assumptions of Janie on her looks which coincides with why he believes that women are objects for men to look at. To Janie, Joe is giving her the opportunity to run away from the confinement of her marriage with Logan and his control against her. However, she soon realizes that Joe is egotistical and tyrannical person who does not really like her except her for looks. When Joe says, “"Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none theirselves”(6.180-1. Hurston), he considers Janie and other women to be

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