Life In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

There are many events we experience in life that changes us, shapes us and makes us who we are in the end. In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston displays just how a young, beautiful black girl named Janie Crawford goes through different relationships in life that made her struggle to become the true Janie she was meant to be all along and how she finally becomes that lady later in her life. Each relationship Janie was involved in, molded who she was. Janie would do certain things, dress certain ways and behave particular ways according to who she was married to making her put aside her true feelings of how she felt about life in general. In the beginning of the novel, Janie had a wonderful life. Growing up with the Washburn’s, a white family Janie’s grandmother worked for, Janie received “hand me downs” of all the white girls clothing. Janie had no idea she was even a black girl until she saw a photograph of her and the family she grew up with. Her grandmother was the nanny for the white family and they let Janie stay with them. The Washburn’s treated Janie and her grandmother like they were a part of the family. Then one day, Janie got caught kissing a boy named Johnny Taylor. Her grandmother wasn’t happy about it

He made her smile and they use to laugh together. Then once Joe became mayor of Eatonville, Janie and Joe’s relationship started to head down the wrong path. Joe started to control Janie just as Logan did. He made her work and keep up the store. He held her back from being herself and doing what she wanted to do. Joe made her stay in the store and not join in on town activities. Janie kept to herself and held back on who she really was and what she wanted to do. Joe would beat Janie, put her down, humiliate her and control her every move. Janie could hardly think for herself in that relationship, but she never stopped caring for Joe. Janie loved Joe all the way to his dying