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Zora Neale Hurston Character Analysis Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Their Eyes Were Watching God: character analysis essay In the story of Their Eyes Were Watching God, a book written by Zora Neale Hurston, follows the tale of Janie Crawford. Janie is a young woman who grew up in the south during the 1930's. As Janie blossoms into a girl to a young woman, she begins to desire the feeling of love. However, she doesn't not fully understand what exactly is true love or how to find it. Within the two marriages she has had within her life, she still hasn't experienced the happiness that true love leads to. Because of this, she is left to be unhappy and having her dream diminished in front of her. Janie's first marriage was with a man named Logan Killicks. Janie was not attached to Logan. (Ch.2 pg. 14) “The vision of Logan Kilicks was desecrating the pear tree.” Janie's grandmother wanted her to marry him, however she …show more content…

As Janie grew to know what kind of person Joe really is her love that she had found started to dissipate yet again. Joe becomes overbearing and demands much from Janie. He his greedy of keeping Janie for only himself. He keeps Janie either always working in the shop or taking care of their home. Joe did buy Janie the best things that were available but only to keep her distracted. (Ch.5 pg.34) “Joe didn't make many speeches with rhythms to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had…” Janie does want what's best not only for her, but for what is best for her husband Joe as well. However, with Joe gone out most of the time, there is no one for Janie to love or someone to love her. How can you love someone who's not even with you? Joe’s priorities are over Janie. Joe focuses on much more other things more than being with and loving his own wife. Overall Janie is only in love with the thought of having the perfect romance rather than actually being within an actual marriage with someone who she took absolutely no time to

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After hearing her say this about him Joe slaps Janie, which isn’t something a good husband would do. This situation is what causes the marriage to really go downhill, and soonafter Joe gets sick and he dies, while still fighting with Janie and overall being a bad

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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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Eventually, Janie decided to leave Logan for another man she met names Joe Starks, and her quest for love continued with her new marriage. Janie was instantly attracted to Joe’s innate power because he gave her hope that she could reach the “horizon” (page 36). Joe took over as mayor of Eatonville and his influence increased dramatically with his improved confidence. He made decisions for Janie, just as her grandmother had, and forbid her from living like every other townsperson. For example, Janie was not allowed to associate with any customers in the store she helped Joe run, she could not wear her hair down in the store, and she had to dress a particular way because of Joe’s raging jealousy.

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Joe interrupts her by saying,”Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home,”(43). Although Joe tries to laugh this off, we see how manipulative he is over Janie even about small things like this. This abuse continues until Joe eventually dies and Janie is free to move on and find someone

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He is the man who fills the voids of loneliness and love, and continues her development as a woman. Joe’s impact on Janie’s emotional growth is that he emotionally abused her to the point where she wouldn’t talk anymore and he only wanted a pretty wife/show wife because he was the mayor of Eatonville. She felt like she had lost her identity because the people would call her Mrs. Mayor Starks and would never use her real name. She also feels like she lost her identity because she always listened to what Joe had to say about her appearance and whatever he suggested she would do it. Joe also had an impact on Janie’s physical growth is that he also physically abused her when every should would do the slightest thing wrong.

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As time pass Janie grows tired of waiting and being with Joe. Still she stays with him because she has the hope that he will change. Joe Starks in the other hand sees Janie as his ticket to get know by more people, including the porch people, and to recieve more property. He like demanding Janie, “Janie, Ah reekon you better go fetch me dem old black gaiters,”(C.6 P.57) but deep inside he still feels something for Janie. Their respected because Joe is mayor and Janie is Mrs.Mayor Janie.

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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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Janie, after her horrible life with Logan, desires to return back to the people. She has for a long time been isolated and alone. Now she wants to be free. But Joe is not allowing this wish to come true. Joe, on the other hand, is actually doing two things.

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses speech as a tool to show the progression of the story. Janie Crawford, the main character of the novel, finds her true identity and ability to control her voice through many hardships. When Janie’s grandmother dies she is married off, to be taken care of. In each marriage that follows, she learns what it is to be a woman with a will and a voice. Throughout the book, Janie finds herself struggling against intimidating men who attempt to victimize her into a powerless role.

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie suffers from hardship in two relationships before she can find her true love. Janie explains to her best friend, Pheoby, how she searches for love. Therefore Pheoby wants to hear the true story, rather than listening to the porch sitters. Throughout the book Janie experiences different types of love with three different men; Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods. At 16 Janie marries Logan Killicks.

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Janie has many encounters with men where she felt love but she couldn’t maintain them. Her first husband held no love but rather only respect for Janie. The first husband was a gateway to her second lover, Jody. Jody loved Janie and she to him but as time progressed his ambitions destroyed what they had previously cherished.

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In The Eyes are Watching God, the author Zora Neale Hurston expresses the struggles of women and black societies of the time period. When Hurston published the book, communities were segregated and black communities were full of stereotypes from the outside world. Janie, who represents the main protagonist and hero, explores these communities on her journey in the novel. Janie shows the ideals of feminism, love, and heroism in her rough life in The Eyes. Janie, as the hero of the novel, shows the heroic qualities of determination, empathy, and bravery.

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After leaving Logan and marrying Joe, she was very happy and seemed to be in love but soon after becomes a “trophy wife” and was just going through the motions of marriage. “No matter what Jody did, she said nothing. She had learned how to talk some and leave some… She got nothing from Jody except what money could buy, and she was giving away what she didn’t value”(Huston, 76). At this point Janie had fully accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to have love in her marriage, and didn’t really care. At this point Janie’s character starts to develope into a more independent woman who cared less about what he husband wanted and more about what she wanted.

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(46). Joe believes that he is doing Janie a favor by providing her with the life he thinks she wants, and this causes her to feel isolated. Although she is still unsure of herself, she knows that her vague idea of the life she expects does not align with Joe’s vision. Despite their conflicting viewpoints, she chooses to suffer in silence because of her fear and reliance on Joe for financial security. Janie allows him to create an uneven power dynamic in which she becomes simply a part of Joe’s image for the public eye.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

All of Janie’s marriages started differently, but all ended in the same

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