ipl-logo

Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Development

1199 Words5 Pages

Throughout Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, she uses Janie's character development to emphasize the importance of developing one's voice. Due to being beaten down and disregarded, she finds it difficult to stand up for herself in her relationships. The detrimental effects of her relationships with Joe Starks, Nanny, and Logan Killicks prevent her from using her voice. Hurston emphasizes the importance of speaking up when Janie is forced to remain silent in her relationship with Joe. Janie allowed her voice to be controlled by her lust in her relationship with Joe causing her to be unable to express her opinions to him. She let everything he did to her pass, “ no matter what Jody did, she did nothing” (76). She hopes …show more content…

The fear of the unknown is controlling Janie. She is letting her mind and Joe control her actions. As a result of Joe's control over Janie, she was forced to remain silent throughout their marriage. He never let her talk for herself: “Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home” (43). Immediately in their relationship Joe’s controlling nature was evident to the readers. Joe immediately started to control her actions and words of Janie often speaking for her. He never lets her opinion be shared. Rather he chooses to make sure that she stays in line and follows his wishes. These actions gain the attention of the other residents in Eatonville. The men become jealous of his possession over Janie. This fuels Joe into taking even more control over her. Clearly, Janie was controlled by Joe because of his jealousy and insecurities; he made all her decisions for her. When another man started to touch Janie’s hair, Joe said, “Her hair was not going to show in the store” (55). Joe’s lack of self-confidence and …show more content…

Nanny’s controlling nature comes from her life experiences of being taken advantage of; she wants Janie to have a different experience. Nanny longs for Janie to have a different experience from her: “She was borned in slavery time when folks, dat is black folks, didn’t sit down anytime dey felt lak it. So sittin’ on porches lak de white madam looked lak uh mighty fine thing tuh her. Dat’s whut she wanted for me—don’t keer whut it cost.” (114). Nanny was born into slavery; often bringing her past issues and experiences onto Janie, guilting her into listening to her. The times are different in Nanny's life than in Janie's. Nanny only wants the best for Janie. She wants her to be able to do things that she was not. Nanny hopes for Janie to live equally to all the white women. Nanny controls Janie’s life because she wants her to do what she was never able to; accomplish what she failed to accomplish. Additionally, Hurston shows no doubt to the readers that Nanny only wants the best for Janie; however, sometimes her obsession with making Janie’s life perfect and flaw free gets in the way of Janie deciding for herself. Nanny wants to make sure that Janie is in a secure relationship, “‘Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection” (15). Nanny is afraid that Janie will not find a man that will provide for her. Before Nanny passes, Nanny wants to

Show More
Related
1041 Words | 5 Pages

Janie has been through hard times, even as a young girl. She lived with her grandmother who took care of her because her mother ran off when she was young. It is because of her grandmother, who wants to be in control of Janie’s life and wants the best for her, that Janie ends up marrying a rich man and getting a good education. However, this is not what Janie really wants. Janie is more interested in happiness and love than being rich, high class, and educated.

Read More
536 Words | 3 Pages

Joe was charismatic towards Janie, and they end up moving in together. Jody became mayor, and Janie was asked to give a speech at the committee meeting. Jody started speaking before she could even begin. He said, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Though Joe Starks married Janie to let other see he can achieve to get a young and beautiful women. As well as to make his ego more strong. Even though he doesn’t like Janie for who she is, or maybe he doesn't show it, Joe is a protective man of what he owns. Janie thinks Joe is the perfect man for her. That he can pleasure her a much as the the tree.

Read More
471 Words | 2 Pages

In Janie’s growth, her thoughts and fantasies were shaped to only focus on simple matters. Nancy would pressure Janie to settle down, get married to a rich man, and live a certain lifestyle. The pressure Nanny applied succeeded as Janie married again and again to certain men. That man, being wealthy [Joe] which did lead her to wealth and prestige, yet did not grant what she deeply desired: freedom and happiness.

Read More
1834 Words | 8 Pages

Nanny’s portion of the novel shines a light on how Janie really views the world compared to her grandmothers. Ultimately Nanny wants Janie to be happy and well taken care of by any means necessary, regardless of how Janie feels. Nanny grew up while being in slavery and lived a hard, loveless life. She ended up getting pregnant with a white man, which to some degree helped her life and the life of her daughter better than it was before. Nanny believes that having the “ultimate life” is based off of status and what the man can bring to the table and provide for her, not solely from mutual

Read More
1588 Words | 7 Pages

For a while she thought it was gone from her soul” (Knodson 222), Janie continuously let Joe take away her voice, Janie did not even fight back, she lost all of her fight, that's how her whole life had been. When Joe is on his death bed, Janie finally finds just a little bit of fight in her soul, she says to Joe, ”You changes everything but nothin’ don’t change you…”(Hurston 127). This was the first time that Janie stood up for herself, she had a voice in something, she stood up to Joe and this was the start of her gaining her voice back. Even if Janie standing up to Joe did not really get her anywhere, the fact that she stood up to Joe was a major leap in not only gaining her voice but also finding out who she was. Janie makesis making progress.

Read More
1490 Words | 6 Pages

Though Janie faces loss multiple times through the deaths of these people that she loves dearly, she gains qualities in herself which she can use later in her life. In her first relationship with Joe, Janie is continually oppressed in terms of when she’s allowed to speak and how she controls her own appearance but this oppression only works to shape her personality into one that can speak back and be more assertive in front of anyone. By having to be in a situation where she has to choose whether to shoot Tea Cake, she becomes more resilient and proactive. Only through the loss of youthfulness and two loved ones is Janie able to truly discover who she, conveying Hurston’s larger message that self-discovery is fueled through loss and

Read More
1254 Words | 6 Pages

Nanny is successfully able to convince her granddaughter through her own traumatic experiences and make her feel “sympathy” as she tells Janie she doesn’t want her life to be spoiled like her own life was. At first, Janie refuses to marry Logan Killicks. Nanny being the older one, defends herself by saying “put me down easy” since she can no longer care for Janie and only her wish is for Janie to get married and be protected from the dangers she and her own daughter faced. By calling herself a “cracked plate” Nanny further elucidates that she went through many hardships in her own life and wants to do the right thing for her granddaughter by

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

However, as she grew, her definition of loved changed to understanding that there are different ways that people loved each other. Nanny okays Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks, but Logan, who is an older man, is searching for someone to work on his farm. Janie is saddened to find that there isn’t love between her and Logan. She was taken as a bride mainly to help Logan with the plowing, planting,

Read More
1326 Words | 6 Pages

At the beginning of the story, Janie always wants to discover the outside world and has an ambitious attitude towards chasing her goals in life, and she often would “search as much of the world as she could”(11), showing how curious and confident Janie is to put herself out there. Additionally, enthusiastic and lively attributes are embodied by Janie’s character at first, as well as her aspirations because she has “glossy leaves and bursting buds”(11), wanting to achieve the chance to live life. Lastly, before Janie met Joe, she was happy and eager to get out and know the outside world and often “looked up the road towards way off”(25), longing for the adventure of that long road and not feeling discouraged or controlled to stay in one place. Although Janie was free and optimistic at first, when Joe came into the picture that attitude changed as he was restraining and controlling over Janie. With Joe wanting to be a big voice it ended up restraining Janie to just staying in the market place and having no value, which further lead her to putting “up a drape over her dreams”(72), showing how shattered and invaluable she felt in the position Joe gave her, not even

Read More
749 Words | 3 Pages

Ah ain’t git tin’ ole, honey. Ah’m done ole. One mornin’ soon, now, de angel wid de sword is gointuh stop by here. De day and hour is hid from me, but it won’t be long.” this shows that Nanny firmly believes that if you have a baby with someone you will have his protection and you would be able to have a happy life this is very important in the story because this is what Janie first learned throughout the entire story.

Read More
1171 Words | 5 Pages

Put me down easy, Janie, Ah’m a cracked plate. " Nanny is beyond exhausted. She grew up during slavery, was raped and had to raise her child, Leafy, without a father. Nanny never got married because she was worried that Leafy would be trampled upon like she was. But, she still lost her child after living to see her be trampled upon the same way she was.

Read More
1073 Words | 5 Pages

After Nanny was raped by her white slave master, she was threatened to be “whipped till de blood run down to yo’ heels… And if it kills you Ah’ll stand the loss” by the Master’s wife (Hurston 18). On the Plantation, Nanny’s identity was stripped away and she was perceived as an asset to help the slave owners increase their profit instead of a person. Given that Nanny was the parental figure in Janie’s life, she did not want Janie to be trapped in racial and gender discrimination like her. Despite her efforts to protect Janie, Janie was sexually assaulted by her second husband JodyStarks, a mayor, due to power dynamics in their relationship since Jody is well respected in the community and Janie is a powerless

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout their relationship, Janie submits to her husband and follows all he says. This is expected of the wife to prioritize and care for her husband. She continues to go against the norms when she finally has enough of him talking bad to her and she stands up for herself. Joe was laughed at and this hurt this reputation.

Read More
1567 Words | 7 Pages

This lets the reader know why nanny wants the security and the protection for Janie. She

Read More

More about Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Development

Related Topics

Open Document