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Analysis Of ' Their Eyes Were Watching God '

Decent Essays

Hannah Carlson
Essay # 3
1-20-17

“Every failed relationship is an opportunity for self growth and learning. So be thankful and move on.” Relationships can teach you many things in life. You figure out what you want to do with your life,and things we like. We find out what makes you unique. You find out what true happiness is, but you have to take risks and let things go and try new things. A great book that shows this is “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. The …show more content…

Logan is old and he ruins the image of the blooming pear tree that Janie has dreamed about. She realizes that marriage does not necessarily equal love. After the lesson from that marriage she matures and runs off with Joe Starks. After getting married to Joe Starks, Janie learns about integrity. Joe and Janie go to Eatonville to buy land so Joe can start a new business in a city run by blacks. Joe does not represent the marriage that Janie wants, the kind that feels like what it 's like to be under a pear tree, but he does represent a change in lifestyle: “Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance" (29). Joe becomes the mayor of Eatonville, changing Janie’s life style. A couple of the town members wonder about the way Joe treats Janie because they notice that she does not talk very much, and that Joe makes her wear her hair all tied up and hidden. Joe does not want anyone looking at Janie. He also wants her to look better than the other women in town. He spends a lot of money on her, but that doesn 't make her happy. Janie feels like Joe is holding her down “She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels” (76). She silently agrees to Jody’s arrogant personality and does her duties while ignoring her emotions. She considers running away but doubts that she can find refuge anywhere, feeling that

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