In “The eyes were watching God” by Zora Neal Herston is about Janie Crawford who the main character's search for love. In Janie’s Journey, she faces different trial and errors in each relationship. Janie learns from these past relationships to show the progression of the women she is now. The men’s treatment of women is clearly shown through the relationships with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.
Janie’s first marriage, to farmer Logan Killicks, is planned and executed by Janie’s well-intentioned grandmother, Nanny. Unfortunately, Nanny's plan doesn't go so well. In this marriage, Janie chafes under the uninspired but reliable Logan. The author Zora shows feminist by saying, "Janie!" Logan called harshly. "Come help me move dis manure pile befo’ de sun gits hot. You don’t take a bit of interest in dis place. ‘Tain’t no use in foolin’ round in dat kitchen all day long…" (chapter 5). Despite her chafing under Logan’s rule, Janie does indeed want boundaries. She likes to think of her I"place" in the house, reigning over a domestic sphere. This is her comfort zone. However, Logan’s definition of her place is, ironically, far more confining. He says that her place is wherever he needs her. So, in effect, he wants to strip her identity and freedom.
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However, Janie finds that her husband has very rigid definitions of a woman’s role. Joe often silences Janie and refuses to listen to others’ opinions...which is no kind of good. As Joe grows old, he tries to divert public attention from his failing body by accusing Janie of acting too young for her age. Finally, Janie can’t bear it anymore and lashes out at Joe, insulting his manhood and pride. Joe is deflated and takes to his deathbed, refusing to let Janie visit him. Janie bursts into Joe's room in his final moments and speaks her
In the beginning years of Janie’s life, there were two people who she is dependent on. Her grandmother is Nanny, and her first husband is named Logan Killicks. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, “Janie, an attractive woman with long hair, born without benefit of clergy, is her heroine” (Forrest). Janie’s grandmother felt that Janie needs someone to depend on before she dies and Janie could no longer depend on her. In the beginning, Janie is very against the marriage. Nanny replied with, “’Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, its protection. ...He done spared me...a few days longer till Ah see you safe in life” (Hurston 18). Nanny is sure to remind Janie that she needs a man in her life for safety, thus making Janie go through life with that thought process.
When Janie marries Logan, her life is changed completely. She was not only forced into a loveless marriage but she was also forced into a slave like position. Logan sees nothing wrong with the marriage and when Janie complains he responds with, “Ah thought you would ‘preciate good treatement. Thought Ah’d take and make somethin’ outa yuh. You think youse white folks by de way you act” (Hurston, 42). Logan sees marriage much the same way that Nanny does; he believes that because he does not abuse her and provides the necessities that Janie should be happy. According to Tracy L. Bealer’s article “The Kiss of Memory: The Problem of Love in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God,” “Though Logan does not abuse or violate Janie, even his money proves no protection from unsatisfying labor, as his ominous purchase of a mule ‘all gentled up so even uh woman kin handle ‘im’’ (26) implies the treat of compulsive labor” (316). The physical labor was only one of the problems that Janie had in her marriage with Logan; Logan looked down on Janie for having grown up with and around white people. He would insult Janie by saying, “Considerin’ youse born in a carriage ‘thout no top to it, and yo’ mama and you bein’ born and raised in de white folks back-yard” (Hurston, 40). Logan resented that Janie did not identify with other blacks as a child and saw Janie as his lesser because of this.
As we see into Janie life we see that two of the three relationship end in a death both were abusive. During Janie second relationship with Joe, Joe begin to feel insecure about his appearance so he begin to point out Janie flaws out as they were both growing older though he is older. He mentally abuse her by bringing up her age constantly to make Janie feel insecure about herself as he felt insecure by himself. Then the climax happen, Janie stood up for herself and being to display his flaws and age in the store people being to laugh at him, ridicule him so he slap her and Janie ran out of the store. Because of this incident the relationship became stressed and he ignores her, even when he was sick and needed a doctor which Janie recommend this act of rebellion ultimately lead to his
“Their eyes were watching god” was written by Zora Neale Hurston,and this book is talking about the story of a black woman—Janie, Hurston narrates from the marriage with Logan to the death of Tea Cake. Janie had experienced different kinds of love throughout her life,and we can see the changes of Janie from these three relationships,and as a result of her quest of love, Janie gained her own independence and personal freedom.
"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches" (8). When Janie was a teenager, she used to sit under the pear tree and dream about being a tree in bloom. She longs for something more. When she is 16, she kisses Johnny Taylor to see if this is what she looks for. Nanny sees her kiss him, and says that Janie is now a woman. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, the main character, is involved in three very different relationships. Zora Neale Hurston, the author, explains how Janie learns some valuable lessons about marriage, integrity, and love and happiness from her relationships with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.
Though Janie had three marriages in total, each one drew her in for a different reason. She was married off to Logan Killicks by her Grandmother who wanted her to have protection and security. “Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have baby, its protection.” (Hurston 15) says Janie’s grandmother when Janie said she did not want to marry Logan. Though Janie did not agree with her grandmother, she knew that she just wanted what’s best for her. Next, she married Joe Starks, Janie was unsatisfied with her marriage to Logan so Joe came in and swept her off her feet. Janie did not like the fact that Logan was trying to make her work, so Joe’s proposition, “You ain’t never knowed what it was to be treated like a lady and ah want to be de one tuh show yuh.” (Hurston 29) was too good to pass up, so she left Logan and married Joe. Janie’s last marriage was to Tea Cake. Fed up after having been treated poorly by Joe, Janie finally found someone who liked her for who she was. “Naw, ...
As the novel opens Janie creates a visual demonstration which lets us know that there is a large difference between her and the other women in the novel (n.p.). She becomes one with her sexuality after lying under a pear tree. Hurston stated, "Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches" (pg.8).This leads to her eventually kissing a young man by the name of Johnny Taylor. Nanny sees her kiss him, and says that Janie is now a woman. (pg. 12) She wants her to marry now and suggests that Janie marry Logan Killicks because he has shown an interest in Janie by always coming around their house. (pg. 13) Janie does not want to marry Logan because she feels he's unattractive and he does not resemble her image of a blooming pear tree. With this being said, Nanny leads Janie to believe no matter who she marrys, she will eventually learn to love them (Kubitschek 23). Janie hated Nanny because of the choices she made for her (pg.85). Thereafter, Nanny arranged for Janie to marry Logan Killicks. She felt that getting married to him will protect Janie from the burdens of being a black woman. Janie did nothing but obey.
The fact that Janie says that she is just happy to be free from Joe after his death tells a lot about their marriage. Joe had seen their marriage as a reason for him to control her.
Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the story of Janie Crawford and her journey to find personal fulfillment and overcome many different struggles that are a result of her race and gender. The book is heavily influenced by the first wave feminist movement, as seen by the way it explores womanhood, race and independence.
Oprah made the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God different from the novel that the author Zora Neale Hurston would not even recognize her own work. Critics like Barbara Ceptus can even agree with this statement. “Oprah takes a four-course novel that requires time to savor and digest and reduces it to baby food. It’s easily digestible, but hardly nurturing or memorable” (Ceptus). Oprah changed the relationships between the characters to where some had purity and some had not. She refused to include important symbolism in the movie that it made the audience focus on the story as a story of love instead of a story of revelation. Oprah changed the dynamics of the story by shortening or eliminating significant scenes in the movie and made the
In the beginning of the story, Janie is stifled and does not truly reveal her identity. When caught kissing Johnny Taylor, a local boy, her nanny marries her off to Logan Killicks. While with Killicks, the reader never learns who the real Janie is. Janie does not make any decisions for herself and displays no personality. Janie takes a brave leap by leaving Killicks for Jody Starks. Starks is a smooth talking power hungry man who never allows Janie express her real self. The Eatonville community views Janie as the typical woman who tends to her husband and their house. Janie does not want to be accepted into the society as the average wife. Before Jody dies, Janie is able to let her suppressed anger out.
Her grandma believed Logan could protect Janie and take care of her. Logan Killick was a rich man with sixty acres and a farm. He believes that women should work just like men. After being married, Janie assumed she would feel love or love him right then, but she didn’t. This becomes clear when Janie says “Cause you told me Ah mus gointer love him, and, and Ah don’t. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it.” (Hurston 23). Janie is confused on why she doesn’t feel the love with Logan after two months and two weeks of being married, she questioning to be teach on how to love. She then realize that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first marriage was a complete failure, but she did complete her first stage development as a women and did not give up on
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: create a pictorial world by telling
Janie’s first marriage to Logan Killicks is arranged by her Nanny while Janie is still young. Her grandmother says that, “de though uh you bein’ kicked around from pillar tuh post is uh hurtin’ thing,” and wants Janie to abandon her mother’s legacy(15). Janie marries to please Nanny with the hope that “she would love Logan after they were
Merely it does not satisfy her need for the physical and emotional needs that she is fronting for. With her second husband Jody “Joe” Starks it is an escape for Janie when she leaves him and Joe has charisma and looks to have big goals in mind. Janie believes as if she has found love. He treats her with the newest fashion in clothing constantly making her feel young and pretty. Only to discover just like Logan both of her husbands’ have limited her opportunity to grow and have that individualism. Janie, a young girl who is so naïve and arrives at the realization that she is regarded mainly to be an emotional slave to Logan by working like a mule or as what we would call a ‘trophy wife’ to Joe Starks as he says in the novel: “'Thank you fuh yo' compliments, but me wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech- making'.. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home.'" (Chapter 5, pg. 40) When Janie finally is on her own after her second husband passes away, she begins to try and gain her own sense of values and self-confidence. She continues to operate her own store that her and Joe helped build and she no longer cares so much, what others think about her in