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Their Eyes Were Watching God Identity Analysis

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Identity is composed of not only self-perception but also the perception of others. Consequently, relationships are vital in the forming and expressing of one’s identity. Healthy relationships allow for the expression of oneself without fear of consequences, whereas unhealthy relationships put pressure on one to change for one’s partner. Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God explores the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, focusing on how each affects the expression of one’s identity. Her novel’s exploration of relationships and their relation to identity reveals that one’s identity can only emerge from healthy, loving relationships. Hurston portrays this exploration through the unhealthy relationships …show more content…

As a matter of fact, Tea Cake empowers Janie and allows her to make her own decisions. This quote takes place during a conversation in which Janie reveals her plans to marry Tea Cake. With this in mind, it is significant because it demonstrates how Janie has finally broken free of the control of others and is now making decisions for herself. She isn’t chasing after wealth, as her grandmother desired, but love, what her heart desires. Notably, she is initiating a relationship with Tea Cake of her own volition. Clearly, then, this is because Tea Cake has helped empower her to do such things. She is no longer scared to express herself. Additionally, Tea Cake treats Janie with respect and as an equal. Tea Cake plays a game of checkers with Janie in this quote. Markedly, Tea Cake treats men and women relatively equally, believing they both have the right and intelligence to play the same games. He participates in the same activities as her, implying that she is just as capable and deserving of engaging in these activities as he is. In other words, he treats her as his equal. This moment is further representative of how Tea Cake is receptive to her desires and feelings. Others would disregard or put down her feelings, but with Tea Cake, they are accepted. She can express her identity with Tea Cake without

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1. Unlike Janie’s previous husbands, Tea Cake treats Janie with compassion and respect. In addition, he loves Janie for her personality instead of her looks and her role as a woman (housewife). 2. The speech characteristic that Tea Cake encourages Janie with is truth.

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For example, just like Jody, Tea Cake also physically abuses Janie to display his authority over her. What makes Janie 's relationship with Tea Cake different from her other relationships is that it is based on a love that runs much deeper than her motivation in staying in her other relationships. Janie married Logan in search of love. She married Jody in search of wealth and his ambition. When both of these relationships failed, she entered into her relationship with Tea Cake with low expectations.

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Tea Cake is younger than Janie but is still very willing to find love. He does not have the money to really help or support Janie cause he does gamble a lot. But he starts telling her, “Ah no need no assistance tun help me feed my woman. From now on, you goin tuh eat whatever mah money can buy and wear the same” ( Hurston 65). Tea Cake is telling Janie about how he is going to take care of her, and that she won't have to worry about money because he will provide it.

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In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist Janie, is influenced by others to change her ideals. Hurston vividly portrays Janie’s outward struggle while emphasising her inward struggle by expressing Janie’s thoughts and emotions. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening the protagonist is concisely characterized as having “that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions,” as Janie does. Janie conforms outwardly to her life but questions inwardly to her marriages with Logan Killicks, her first husband, and Joe Starks, her second husband; Janie also questions her grandmother's influence on what love and marriage is.

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With Tea Cake, she could be herself. He allowed her to be herself because he loved her the way she was and didn’t want to make her change to be something she wasn’t. Tea Cake encouraged Janie to be what she wanted and to follow her dreams and aspirations. Janie finally was able to find the bee to pollinate her pear blossom. She loved him with all her heart.

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In the beginning Janie feels as if Tea Cake’s age would effect their relationship. She has strong feelings for him, but on the other hand people are saying he will run off with her money. Janie proves them wrong and runs off and gets married to Tea Cake. He makes Janie feel wanted, she feels like she could be herself. Janie states, "We been tuhgether round two years.

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Next, Janie continues on her determined journey for love when she goes off to marry Tea Cake. In the quote,

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Hurston tells the story of Janie, a black woman who because of her grandmother experiences and beliefs was forced to marry into a loveless marriage with Logan Killicks, a hard-working farmer who had 60 acres of land and could provide for Janie. This marriage ended when Janie ran away with Joe Stark, a man that she fell in love with and thought could give her the love absent between her and Logan. But Janie soon realized that her second marriage wouldn’t turn out better than her first. Joe was just as controlling and degrading as Logan. He hardly expressed his love for Janie and spoke to her like an incompetent child.

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Toni Morrison’s A Mercy portrays a young slave, Florens, struggles with her past as well as her life as a slave. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God shows a woman, Janie, who struggles through various relationships in her life, but in the end, they help her find her freedom and individualism. Both stories have different story lines, but upon a closer look, it is easy to see that Florens and Janie have common factors in their lives; which includes, both characters are isolated by others, both characters want to love someone, both character’s guardians make decisions for them that they do not understand which causes conflict, and finally, both characters commit difficult actions which ends up changing their lives.

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The love Tea Cake gives and accepts from her allows for her once divided selves that sought affection become unified, blossoming within her a passion that shines for her

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Thus it is still possible to see Tea Cake as having a degree of control over Janie until the moment of his death. In each of her relationships, we watch Janie lose parts of herself under the forces of male domination. The men are not the only characters who see the traditional take on gender relations, where the men are dominant, and the women are obedient, as necessary and

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She meets Tea Cake, falls in love, and later marries him. This marriage is by far the most special and unique marriage Janie has had. Her relationship with Tea Cake is her first true love; which consists of affection, happiness, understanding and everything else that follows. This marriage makes Janie feel like she has a second chance in life to relive her youth. Janie has lots of fun and is truly blessed and happy with Tea Cake.

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When tea cake shows up janie 's feels something she has never felt before, she is set free but the townspeople don 't think so. “‘Ain’t you skeered he’s jes after yo’ money him bein’ younger than you?’” (Hurston pg.133)Janie is in love with Tea Cake because he loves her for her youthful young side that was forced into hiding for so long because of her previous husbands. However the rest of the community is discouraging her and trying to keep her in the image as a mayor 's wife. They told Janie that Tea Cake was after her money

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She questions why Janie would marry a dark man like Tea Cake. Mrs. Turner falsely assumes, like the rest of the people form the town, that Janie only married Tea Cake for his money because she could not possibly love him. Janie informs Mrs. Turner that her assumption is incorrect because Tea Cake was not wealthy when they met, and he is the only person that has made her truly

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Although Tea Cake was not rich in monetary wealth, he was rich in opportunity for radical change in equality and individuality. In addition, Tea Cake helped Janie define her societal individuality, an entirely new concept to her, by openly inviting her to be equal in their relationship in private and in a public

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