Essay: Their Eyes Were Watching God – Hurston

Theme: True success and satisfaction does not come from money and power, but rather happiness and independence.
A.  Although Logan provides Janie with stability, she is left unfulfilled due to a lack of love.
1.    “The familiar people and things had failed her so she hung over the gate and looked up the road towards way off. She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (25).
2.   In this quote, Janie comes to term with the fact that she is not satisfied being with Logan. After spending a long period of time trying to love Logan and her life with him, Janie faces the reality that she cannot force herself to love.
B.   Although Janie gains importance as Joe’s wife, she suffers in the marriage since she suppresses her beauty, freedom of speech and need for attention.
1.    “The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor….The bed was no longer a daisy-field for her and Joe to play in. It was a place where she went and laid down when she was sleepy and tired. She wasn’t petal-open anymore with him” (71).
2.   This quote shows how Janie’s marriage has transformed over the years. While Janie and Joe showed passion during the early stages of their marriage, Joe’s dominance ultimately tears them apart. As Joe begins to act as more of a boss than a husband, Janie loses the illusion of love. She ultimately views their relationship as more of a partnership than a marriage.
C.   Janie finally feels content with her life while in a relationship with Tea Cake despite his lack of wealth and prominence.
1.    “He [Tea Cake] drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.” (128).
2. In the past, Janie has had to give up the desired ideas of love for the sense of financial security. However, with Tea Cake, Janie is able to experience the love she always longed for. Janie is finally able to express her true emotions.
D. Despite the absence of Tea Cake following his death, Janie still lives a fulfilled life on her own.
1.  “Ah done been tuh de horizon and back and now Ah kin set heah in mah house and live by comparisons. Dis house ain’t so absent of things lak it used tuh be befo’ Tea Cake come along” (191).
2. This quote shows that although Janie is alone, she is content with having lived through a liberating relationship with Tea Cake. Janie can live the rest of her life satisfied because she experienced all she desired while Tea Cake was still alive.
II. Although unjust division is often linked to racism, wealth and appearance can lead to discrimination and a hierarchy within a race itself.
A. Nanny refuses to allow Janie decide who she can romantically seek and decides Janie must marry into financial stability, regardless of any other factor.
“Ah don’t want no trashy nixxer, no breath-and-britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin’ yo’ body to wipe his foots on” (13).
This quote shows how Nanny discriminates against certain men when deciding who Janie can be with. Because of Janie’s beauty and age, Nanny determines she must marry a man who can provide for Janie. So, despite Janie’s attraction towards Johnny Taylor, he is unworthy of her love because he is not wealthy.
B. Due to his wealth, Joe assumes a role of unchallenged leadership that mimics that of a slavemaster.
“It was especially noticeable after Joe had forced through a town ditch to drain the street in front of the store. They had murmured hotly about slavery being over, but every man filled his assignment” (46-7).
Joe’s decision to force townspeople to help the store makes it apparent that he believes his position as mayor allows him to act with self-interest. Despite being a part of the same race, Joe does not treat the other people in town as his equal. Using his wealth and power, Joe makes it evident that he is superior to the people of Eatonville.
C. As Tea Cake pursues Janie, people assume he is with her for her wealth and not her love.
“You better sense her intuh things then ‘cause Tea Cake can’t do nothin’ but help her spend what she got. Ah reckon dat’s what he’s after. Throwin’ away what Joe Starks worked hard tuh git tuhgether” (111).
This quote depicts the gossip around Tea Cake’s intentions with Janie. Although Tea Cake makes it evident that he admires Janie, people are skeptical of his actions because he lacks wealth and power.
D. Despite being black herself, Mrs. Turner worships the white features of Janie and condemns her relationship with dark-skinned Tea Cake.
“Janie’s coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields. She didn’t forgive her for marrying a man as dark as Tea Cake, but she felt that she could remedy that…her disfavorite subject was Negroes” (140).
According to Mrs. Turner, Janie’s lighter complexion makes her superior to the black people she surrounds herself with. Like the people back in Eatonville, Mrs. Turner does not believe Tea Cake is fit for Janie. However, she is concerned with his darker complexion and not his wealth.
III. Finding one’s voice can lead to the discovery of personal identity.
A. Janie is viewed only as Joe’s wife and not as an individual since she is constantly silenced by him.
“For a while she thought it was gone from her soul. No matter what Jody did, she said nothing. She had learned how to talk some and leave some. She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels” (76).
This quote shows how Janie was suppressed by her marriage with Joe. Janie cannot share her opinions or speak her mind with Joe. As a result, she neglects her potential as a vocal individual and an important member of the community.
B. When finally given the chance to speak, Janie breaks away from her role as Joe’s wife, expressing her resentment towards him and their relationship.
“Ah run off tuh keep house wid you in uh wonderful way. But you wasn’t satisfied wid me de way Ah was. Naw! Mah own mind had tuh be squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for yours in me” (86).
While Joe is on his deathbed, he lacks the power needed to silence Janie. As a result, Janie finally vocalizes her feelings and confronts the mistreatment she has faced. In doing so, she leaves behind her role as a wife and becomes free of her oppressor.
C. Janie thrives socially and personally while in a relationship Tea Cake who treats her as an equal and encourages her individual thinking.
“Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk some herself if she wanted to. She got so she could tell big stories herself from listening to the rest” (134).
Shortly after getting married to Janie, Joe travels to the Everglades with his wife for a new job where they encounter a welcoming community. Unlike in her previous community, Janie is able to speak her mind without being restrained by her husband.
D. Now on her own, Janie establishes her independence through sharing her story with Pheoby.
“It’s uh known fact Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there. Yo’ papa and yo’ mama and nobody else can’t tell yuh and show yuh. Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (192).
After her adventures with Tea Cake, Janie firmly believes that experiencing different ways of life is essential to understanding the world around. Although facing gossip from the town, Janie expresses her individuality by supporting her decisions and encouraging others to seek adventure outside of Eatonville.