Summary Of Janie In Their Eyes Were Watching God

At the beginning of the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God, it states “She began to stand around the gate and expect things. What things? she didn't know exactly.” (Hurston Pg, 25). This quote shows Janie’s ignorance of what marriage is.

Janie's character in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a fluid character that changes, but also remains constant in some aspects. During chapter 5 and 6 her tendencies are called to attention through Joe's criticism. As he verbally attacks Janie and pushes her around her feelings and reactions illustrate who she is as a character, in this point of her life. During a meeting, in which Joe becomes Mayer, they ask Janie to say a few words about it in encouragement. Before she had a chance to respond, Joe did for her.

Janie, after her horrible life with Logan, desires to return back to the people. She has for a long time been isolated and alone. Now she wants to be free. But Joe is not allowing this wish to come true. Joe, on the other hand, is actually doing two things.

Janie the protagonist of the book Their Eyes Were Watching God is introduced as a forty-year-old harlot by the woman on the porch. “They made burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs” (pg 2). From this porch Janie’s best friend Pheoby comes in to save her rep, Pheoby refutes, saying “You mad ‘cause she didn’t stop and tell us all her business” (pg 3). From this friendship we see that Janie is not a harlot she is just the talk of the neighborhood; she describes it as “Mouth-Almighty … got me up in they mouth now” (pg 5) . She then replies to the gossipers saying “They don’t know if life is a mess of corn-meal dumplings, and if love is a bed-quilt” (pg 6).

Joe seen Janie as a trophy wife or someone he could show people off to, but Janie was taken by his charms and believed that he would be the one to give her the love she was looking for. She soon realized that it was nothing like that, “And one night he had caught Walter standing behind Janie and brushing the back of his hand back and forth across the loose end of her braid ever so lightly so as to enjoy the feel of it without Janie knowing what he was doing. Joe was at the back of the store and Walter didn’t see him. He felt like rushing forth with the meat knife and chopping off the offending hand. That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Chapter 5).

Joe embraces the characteristics of jealousy, especially over Janie and did not like any other men having anything to do with her. “Not only did Jody restrict how much of herself she could show, but how many words came out of her mouth” (Grey). In the novel, when the man stroked Janie’s hair Joe made her wear a head rag and she had no say about it, while in the movie she argued with him. Janie’s argument with Joe shows her defiance towards him as well as her strength to stand up for herself. Joe also did not like the fact of her talking to the men on the porch at the store, which showed his jealous and controlling side.

Jody controlled major aspects of Janie’s life, such as her appearance, when he forces her to keep her hair up. Janie does not like that Jody feels the need to control her: “This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it... that was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was” (Hurston 55).

(Hurston 24). Logan does not show any love for Janie. Janie’s unhappiness taught her that love can not be forced upon anyone. Joe prevails as the first man to show, Janie attention and affection. Both, Janie and Joe run off to Eatonville to start a life together.

Janie could “tolerate” her relationship with Joe but she realized the only reason he gave her such a hard time about how she looked was because he realized he was old and did not look as young as he did at the start of their marriage. Janie demonstrated her determined and independent attitude and she is now free from

events like her marriages and her childhood memories. It was while Janie was a young teen she was always working. Going into her first relationship she was always working, her husband made her work like a mule. In her second marriage, she was not adequate to do much. She could not let her hair down, she could not express her mind, and she could not play checkers with her husband or anyone else.

Janie’s courtroom case showed that lack of respect her fellow town mates tend to obtain. “ …the courtroom scene, in Chapter 19, after which Janie is comforted by white women but scorned by her black friends” (SparkNotes-Themes). Despite feeling disowned, Janie kept faith internally because her independence and care for herself made her realize that whatever effect comes along the way, she will have closure. Living for one-self motivates Janie to live the life that she never had the opportunity to live due to living under individuals that betrayed her destination for

He expects that his wife will do what he tells her to do and will do it without question. Joe fits the male stereotype in a different way. He tries to keep his woman in line by beating her and brags to the others about it. Although they had a good marriage at the start, the minute that he starts to beat her, her feelings change. She just wants to stick up for herself, “So he struck Janie with all of his might and drove her from the store” (80).

The first person that influences on janie's life is her nanny. Nanny wants Janie to marry a man that will bring her protection. Janie's nanny does not think that she should not love any man she should instead look for a man that can do things for her and keep her safe. Janie's nanny can not find a way to make janie view things in her perspective so she had RECORRER “you just wants to hug and kiss and feel around with first one man and then another, huh?

In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is a main character whose outward existence conforms, and her inward life questions. This tension helps to evolve the author’s theme of the importance of individuality and how individuality creates happiness. Janie experiences most of her life in trying to conform, and grows to despise it. Once free, she becomes herself and becomes happy. Early in the novel, Janie marries Logan Killicks.

Ah never married her for nothin´lak dat. She´s uh woman and her place is in de home.” (p.43). Joe Starks completely controls Janie, made her hide her hair, didn´t allow her to participate in conversations and games. After Joe had assaulted her after she failed cooking a nice meal, Janie became aware of her faulty image of their loving relationship, she had never truly loved him.