Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

Joe is power hungry and seeks to dominate Janie, who cannot be held back and craves the freedom to manage her own life. With such caustic tension, it seems odd that Janie would stay with Joe until his death. Clearly, she was not afraid to walk out on a husband, so why did she choose to stay? Though Joe was frequently an oppressive dictatorial husband, he still offered more love to her than the cold, quasi-emotionless Logan Killicks. Only after finding love with Tea Cake, however, would Janie realize one of the major themes of the novel: in order to gain true happiness, you cannot sacrifice one desire for another, in her case freedom from oppression for love.

Therefore, both Joe and Janie are looked up to by the townspeople. To some extent, this could be considered a form of equality. Unfortunately, this is about where the equality stops. While Joe gains prominence through his own actions and words, Janie gains some prominence by doing what she is told to do. She is not permitted to voice her own opinions or join in the lighthearted gossiping which occurs outside of their store. Janie is expected to be the dutiful wife. If she makes a mistake, then she should have known better and therefore should accept her punishment quietly. Joe holds the obvious upper hand in the relationship until his death whereupon Janie inherits a large amount of money and learns to enjoy the freedom of living as her own person.

Thereafter, she meets and falls in love with Tea Cake. He is significantly younger than her; however, he is the first man to listen to her and treat her as an equal. For example, the day she met Tea Cake, he shocked her when he taught her to play checkers. The fact that someone thought it was natural for her to play pleased Janie. They both enjoyed caring for and helping each other feel relaxed and satisfied. Therefore, Janie, once again, leaves to start a new life despite warning from her friend, Phoebe, and the risk that Tea Cake could be using her for her money. Happily, she adjusts to a new life working alongside Tea Cake in the Everglades. Later, a hurricane tears through the Everglades, forcing them to leave. While they flee, Tea Cake rescues Janie from a wild dog and is only a scratch is left on his cheek. Until he becomes horribly ill, they think nothing of it. The doctor tells Janie she can’t sleep with him and she must stay away when he has ‘fits’. Due to this, Tea Cake believes she has grown tired of caring for him. The disease affects his behavior and in his crazed state he points a gun at Janie. He forces her to shoot him. While she weeps, Janie holds his head and thanks him for the opportunity to love him. Later that day, she is tried for his murder and acquitted. Afterwards, she cannot bear to live in the Everglades without Tea Cake; so, she moves back to

The fear that was struck into Janie by her grandmother is transformed into hate by the end of the book, tarnishing the relationship between Janie and Nanny. Jody Starks, Janie’s second husband, is an all-around bad husband. Janie is taken by his good looks and sweet talking, but her dream of the perfect husband remains a dream with Jody’s controlling and condescending attitude towards Janie.

Tea Cake loved Janie so much that he would rather himself get hurt than her, which is something Janie had never experienced: true love. Without Tea Cake’s role in Janie’s life she would have never experienced true love and actual happiness. Tea Cake is a mysterious man from the

Joe was on his way to Eatonville to make a better life for himself, he asked Janie where her parents were and Janie explained that she is married and her husband was out getting a mule for her to plow. Joe expresses that that is not a way for her to be treated and asks her to leave Logan and marry him.

All through the novel Janie travels through valuable life experiences allowing her to grow as a woman. Janie at first has a difficult time understanding her needs rather than wants, but as she continues to experience new situations she realizes she values respect. Janie’s first two marriages turned out to be tragic mistakes, but with each marriage Janie gained something valuable. When Janie is disrespected in her second marriage with Joe Starks, he publicly humiliates her, disrespecting her as a wife and woman. This experience forced Janie to come out of her comfort zone and stand up for herself.

Joe Starks is a “quick-thinking, fast-talking, ambitious man, headed for a newly founded all black community, where he plans to make a fortune” (Rosenblatt 30). Jody offers up a new start to Janie and she leaps at the opportunity of marrying him, “committing bigamy” (Rosenblatt 30). Jody becomes the mayor of Eatonville and provides Janie with a middle-class furnished house that does not provide her “with the felicity and self-fulfillment that she needs” (Ha 33). Janie is treated no more or less than that of the mayor’s wife.

He teaches her how to play checkers, how to handle guns, and how to shoot. They go on picnics, much to the dismay of the porch sitters, who resent his intrusion on Janie's mandatory mourning period. He listens to Janie's opinions, helps her in the store, and plays his guitar for her. Tea Cake is able to give her the dream of love that Joe Starks never understood and failed to giver her. Although they both have feelings for each other they too had their problems in marriage.

He forces her to tie her hair in a rag and does not want her socializing with people whom he refers to as “trashy people.” Starks ends up dying and soon Janie meets another man, Vergible Woods, a.k.a Tea Cake. They connect from the start and spend a lot of time together. Despite what people tell Janie about him, her and Tea Cake marry. They move to the Everglades and he teaches her how to shoot a gun. Thier relationship comes to a critical point, when they are trapped in a hurricane and forced to work together to get through it. After the hurricane, Janie is forced to kill Tea Cake before he kills her. Tea Cake fulfills his pear tree dream and Hurston shows that Janie is a fulfilled independent woman after the loss of Tea Cake. Janie gains independence through the journeys, in which she experiences in search of

Tea Cake’s actions leave Janie distraught and increases the feeling of angst in Janie when she has an epiphany that Tea Cake might have run off with a younger

Janie leaves Logan to be with Joe Starks who was waiting for her. On the train ride to town, the narrator says, “he bought her the best things the butcher had” (Hurston 35). Joe is more concerned about money and power. Janie feels that he’s giving her gifts, but it’s more that he’s showing off his money. Janie is the wife of the mayor and it

Their marriage quickly goes downhill and Janie ends up leaving him for another man named Joe Starks, who she is married to for 20 years before Joe dies. Soon after this she encounters another man know as Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods and marries him only to have their marriage end by Janie being

Tea Cake was a great guy, but at the end, the rabies got to his brain and he began to have delusion thoughts and accuse Janie of visiting Mrs. Turner; in reality she was going out to get him

As they try to run from the rising waters, a rabid dog bites Tea Cake. Tea Cake later becomes ill due to the fact that the dog had rabies. During his boost of rabies, Tea Cake becomes convinced that Janie is cheating on him. He begins to fire a pistol at her and Janie is forced to kill him to save her life. She is later put on trial for murder. But the jury finds her not guilty. She returns to her home town where her former neighbors are ready spread gossip about her circumstances. Here is where Janie wraps up her recounting to Pheoby, who is greatly impressed by Janie’s experiences. Later back in her room that night, Janie feels at one with Tea Cake and at peace with