What Does Janie's Search For Identity In Their Eyes Were Watching God

In Zora Neal Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, the protagonist, goes through a difficult journey of finding herself. She utilizes marriage, love, and her own flare of feminism to figure out her own definition of individuality. Throughout the novel it takes Janie three marriages and a lot of heartache, for her to finally realize what is best for her along with who she truly wants to be. Janie realizes that sometimes she needs to live for Janie. Any one that will deny her of her voice and individuality does not need to have a factor in her life. This Journey is long and confusing but Janie makes through the trials and tribulations to pass the story on to her nosey porch sitters.

Janie begins her story living with her grandmother

Hurston’s use of language parallels Janie’s quest to find her voice. As Henry Louis Gates Jr. a well known historian, writer and book critique writes in the afterword of Their Eyes Were Watching God states that he is primarily concerned “with the project of finding a voice, with language as an instrument of injury and salvation, of selfhood and empowerment.” Joe forbids Janie from speaking when he prevents her from talking after he is named mayor. Janie’s hatred for Joe stems from the constant suppression of her individuality. Even Tea Cake knows that this kind of treatment is not fit for a respectable and smart woman like Janie. Tea Cake, on the other hand, engages her speech, like a normal human being. Tea cake converses with her and puts him on equal terms with her. The love he has for Janie branches from his respect for her individuality. Tea cake was the one. Janie truly loved Tea Cake, and Tea Cake truly loved Janie. Despite what anyone else has to say about their relationship, it was true love and true love lives on forever. As written in Black Women’s Blues; A Literary Anthology, Hurston touches on several aspects of sexism including feminism. In regards to Janie’s beauty and basic rights as a woman “[Joe] jealously guards [Janie’s] beauty as if it were something he owns”, but Tea Cake on the other hand sees Janie’s beauty as something that should be treated as fine china. For Tea cake, finding Janie was like winning the lottery. Tea Cake knew he was not good enough for Janie but he refused to let a day go by that he did not let her know how lucky he was. The amount of respect and courage Teacake gives Janie is what she ultimately uses to find her true meaning of existence, love. Gloria L. Cronin, one of many authors in the Encyclopedia of African Americans puts it perfectly “[It] really capture a classic text with its indirect and