Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie's Relationship
Analysis of Janie’s Relationships
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie. finds herself. and discovers her. voice through her. marriages with Joe Starks, Tea Cake, and Logan Killicks. Each of. her relationships. bring her. closer to. her goal. of finding. love. Janie is. a girl. who. lived the. majority of. her life as others thought. she should. as a black. woman. When she was very young, her mother abandoned her and. her. Nanny raised. her. Nanny holds. a very. strict moral. code, and has specific. ideas about. African American. and gender. roles in. society. As the book. opens Janie. manifests a. visual demonstration. letting the. audience know there. is a great. difference between. her and. other women. in the.
book (n.p.). After lying under a pear tree, Janie becomes one with her sexuality. Hurston. stated, "Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean." (11-12). Janie then. proceeds to. kiss Johnny. Taylor. Nanny sees. this and. she says. that Janie. is officially. a woman. (12). She immediately. insists that. she marry. and suggests. Logan Killicks. because she. believe he. has shown. an interest. in Janie. (13). Janie, however, does not. wish to. marry Logan. because she. feels he's. unattractive and. does not. resemble her. image of. a blooming. pear. tree. With this. being said, Nanny. leads Janie. to believe. no matter. who she. marries, she. will eventually. learn to love. them. This. is an. important part. of the. book because. it shows. the culture. during this. time period. with Nanny. insisting Janie. to marry. so young. Thereafter, Nanny. arranged for. Janie to. marry Logan. Killicks. She. felt that. getting married. to him. will protect. Janie from. the burdens. of being. a black. woman. Janie. did nothing. but obey. This. is the. start of. Janie being. progressive and. fighting for. her right of. choice as. a woman. because she. starts to. dislike her. Nanny making. choices for. her planting. a seed. of free. will in. Janie’s mind. Hurston. wrote, "Six months back he [Logan] had told her, ‘If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me “bout choppin” no wood nohow. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten.’ So Janie had told him, ‘Ah’m just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git no dinner. ‘Scuse mah freezolity, Mist’ Killicks, but Ah don’t mean to chop de first chip’" . To Logan, Janie. was just. another working. set of. hands, not. a wife. whom he. loved which. is what she. wished for. He. cared for. her almost. like another. man. Janie. protested that. nothing beautiful. was ever. said. This. was very. common during. this time. period. Men. didn’t always. marry women. out of love, sometimes. there were financial. or social. gains associated. with marriage. Janie. then meets. Joe Starks. Joe, as. oppose to. Logan, does. not wish. to marry. Janie solely. for financial. or social. gains. He. impressed her. with his. wit and. his ability. to think. about the. broader picture. whereas Logan. only thought. in terms. of his. sixty acres. of land. Janie’s. next progressive. step occurs. when she. leaves Logan. for Joe. because of. the way. Logan treated. her.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie. finds herself. and discovers her. voice through her. marriages with Joe Starks, Tea Cake, and Logan Killicks. Each of. her relationships. bring her. closer to. her goal. of finding. love. Janie is. a girl. who. lived the. majority of. her life as others thought. she should. as a black. woman. When she was very young, her mother abandoned her and. her. Nanny raised. her. Nanny holds. a very. strict moral. code, and has specific. ideas about. African American. and gender. roles in. society. As the book. opens Janie. manifests a. visual demonstration. letting the. audience know there. is a great. difference between. her and. other women. in the.
book (n.p.). After lying under a pear tree, Janie becomes one with her sexuality. Hurston. stated, "Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean." (11-12). Janie then. proceeds to. kiss Johnny. Taylor. Nanny sees. this and. she says. that Janie. is officially. a woman. (12). She immediately. insists that. she marry. and suggests. Logan Killicks. because she. believe he. has shown. an interest. in Janie. (13). Janie, however, does not. wish to. marry Logan. because she. feels he's. unattractive and. does not. resemble her. image of. a blooming. pear. tree. With this. being said, Nanny. leads Janie. to believe. no matter. who she. marries, she. will eventually. learn to love. them. This. is an. important part. of the. book because. it shows. the culture. during this. time period. with Nanny. insisting Janie. to marry. so young. Thereafter, Nanny. arranged for. Janie to. marry Logan. Killicks. She. felt that. getting married. to him. will protect. Janie from. the burdens. of being. a black. woman. Janie. did nothing. but obey. This. is the. start of. Janie being. progressive and. fighting for. her right of. choice as. a woman. because she. starts to. dislike her. Nanny making. choices for. her planting. a seed. of free. will in. Janie’s mind. Hurston. wrote, "Six months back he [Logan] had told her, ‘If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me “bout choppin” no wood nohow. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten.’ So Janie had told him, ‘Ah’m just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git no dinner. ‘Scuse mah freezolity, Mist’ Killicks, but Ah don’t mean to chop de first chip’" . To Logan, Janie. was just. another working. set of. hands, not. a wife. whom he. loved which. is what she. wished for. He. cared for. her almost. like another. man. Janie. protested that. nothing beautiful. was ever. said. This. was very. common during. this time. period. Men. didn’t always. marry women. out of love, sometimes. there were financial. or social. gains associated. with marriage. Janie. then meets. Joe Starks. Joe, as. oppose to. Logan, does. not wish. to marry. Janie solely. for financial. or social. gains. He. impressed her. with his. wit and. his ability. to think. about the. broader picture. whereas Logan. only thought. in terms. of his. sixty acres. of land. Janie’s. next progressive. step occurs. when she. leaves Logan. for Joe. because of. the way. Logan treated. her.