Zora Neale Hurston affectively uses literary devices throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston sprinkles metaphors, similes, and conflicts throughout the book which creates rich reading content. This essay will be going over an example of each of these: metaphors, simile, foreshadowing, symbolism, and mood. Each of the examples is the strongest out of each category above that is in Their Eyes Were Watching God.
“Janie saw her life like a big tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches” (Hurston 8). It talks of a pear tree which Janie loves to watch. This tree is a simile comparing Janie’s life to the tree. This tree represented the horizon which Janie is pursuing in her first two relationships. The tree was the essence of love she wished and longed for during her younger years.
The blossoming of the flowers on the tree represented Janie transitioning from being a child to a woman. At the end of Janie’s story she says, “Ah done been tuh de horizon and back and now Ah kin set heah in mah house and live by comparisons” (191). This statement showed that eventually she really did find the love that she longed for. She looked at that tree as a sign of hope and encouragement that love could happen.
The love Janie experienced with Tea Cake was the horizon Janie had been waiting for. But, this love was not to last. The good times Tea Cake and Janie spent shooting the rifle foreshadows Janie’s painful deed later in the book. “’Tain’t no need uh you not knowin’ how tuh handle shootin’ tools. Even if you didn’t never find no game, it’s always some trashy rascal dat needs uh good killin’” (Hurston 130). Janie became very handy with the firearms. Hurston makes special emphasis on the fact that Tea Cake buys a rifle and a pistol after the storm claimed their original guns. This creates a great deal of suspicion that something will happen pertaining to the guns and it does. Janie is forced to shoot Tea Cake in order to save her own life near the end of the book. This sad act confirms the suspicion that is fed earlier in the book.
“The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit but it never went back inside the bedroom again. So she put something in there to represent the spirit like a Virgin Mary image in a church.
This contains another simile but it also represents a person vs. person conflict. Jody slowly drives Janie away from him until she finally closes him out of heart and replaces him with her dream to one day find happiness. She had become a hypocrite, pretending to have a perfect marriage in public while acting hostile in private.
The story about the mule serves the purpose of letting us get to know Janie’s relationship to the town and the restraints Jody put upon her. It also serves as a symbol of Janie. She was waiting to be broken free from Jody’s rules and restraint’s. She longed to move towards the horizon instead of away. The mule was a symbol to her that one day someone would come and rescue her from her bondage and suffering and bring her into the horizon where she could bloom.
Finally, we see the tension between Jody and Janie in the phrase, “The silence was the sleep of swords” (77). This shows that the “honeymoon phase” of their relationship over and the grim truth of marriage had struck. They began to draw apart until the silence was their only comfort and yet also a great burden. Silence reigned in the house to prevent both conflict and love from happening again.
Hurston truly painted a great work of art when she wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God. She captures Janie’s independence by comparing her to the pear tree. Hurston also depicts Janie’s life as a journey to the horizon (the horizon being a place where love reigned supreme). The rifles foreshadowed dark times in her horizon, eventually leading her to kill the very one who had brought her into her horizon. The silence between Jody and Janie is descriptively written as the sleep of swords. While Janie replaced Jody with her dream like a Virgin Mary in a church, Jody replaced Janie with his work. Hurston created a story that requires deep intellectual thought to properly understand the plot by sprinkling these powerful devices as guideposts to truly understand the message of her book: Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Author Birography- Anna Froemming
“I have been in Sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and sword in my hands.”
~Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was born to John and Lucy Ann Potts Hurston. A lot of her early life is unknown, partially because of the fact that she never told anyone her true age. She was born somewhere between 1891 and 1903, the fifth child of eight. She was born somewhere in The South, often argued to be Eatonville, Florida, the setting of some of her novels, or Notasulga, Alabama. We do know that she moved to Eatonville at age three. As a child, Hurston was no stranger to sadness. After her mother’s death when she was 13, Hurston was shuffled from family member to family member by her father, who had since remarried. Because of this, she received very little formal education growing up, but was able to attend school by lying about her age. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she was inspired by her professor of philosophy black culture, Alain Locke, to pursue a literary career.
Her first story "John Redding Goes to Sea," set in Eatonville, was published in the Howard literary magazine The Stylus in 1921. After this, she transferred to Barnard University and began to study anthropology. It was at this time that she became involved in the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of black writers during that time, such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, who did not always appreciate her blunt and often coarse nature. The Harlem Renaissance style of writing greatly influenced her and she celebrated the black community’s roots and traditions. Her writings reflected their dialect and daily struggles, combining her literary degree with her training in anthropology.
Hurston was married several times in her life, very similar to Janie, the protagonist in her story Their Eyes Were Watching God. In 1937, she was in country of Haiti when she wrote this story, in seven weeks, in the middle of a love affair with a younger man. Part of the reason she was not successful in marriage may have been due to the fact that friends described her as coarse, arrogant, eccentric, highly outspoken, and loud (webster.com.) She died relatively poor and alone in 1960.
Although growing up poor, Hurston did not portray the black community as underprivileged or a wounded people. She did not want the community to integrate into the white community for fear they would lose their identity. She influenced many writers, including Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and Alice Walker, who would go on to revive Hurston’s writings.
Her works included Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life; Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Mules and Men; Tell My Horse; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Moses, Man of the Mountain; Dust Tracks on the Road; and Seraph on Suwanee.
References:
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/hurs-zorx.htm
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/hurston.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hurstonzoraneale/p/hurston_bio.htm
~Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was born to John and Lucy Ann Potts Hurston. A lot of her early life is unknown, partially because of the fact that she never told anyone her true age. She was born somewhere between 1891 and 1903, the fifth child of eight. She was born somewhere in The South, often argued to be Eatonville, Florida, the setting of some of her novels, or Notasulga, Alabama. We do know that she moved to Eatonville at age three. As a child, Hurston was no stranger to sadness. After her mother’s death when she was 13, Hurston was shuffled from family member to family member by her father, who had since remarried. Because of this, she received very little formal education growing up, but was able to attend school by lying about her age. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she was inspired by her professor of philosophy black culture, Alain Locke, to pursue a literary career.
Her first story "John Redding Goes to Sea," set in Eatonville, was published in the Howard literary magazine The Stylus in 1921. After this, she transferred to Barnard University and began to study anthropology. It was at this time that she became involved in the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of black writers during that time, such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, who did not always appreciate her blunt and often coarse nature. The Harlem Renaissance style of writing greatly influenced her and she celebrated the black community’s roots and traditions. Her writings reflected their dialect and daily struggles, combining her literary degree with her training in anthropology.
Hurston was married several times in her life, very similar to Janie, the protagonist in her story Their Eyes Were Watching God. In 1937, she was in country of Haiti when she wrote this story, in seven weeks, in the middle of a love affair with a younger man. Part of the reason she was not successful in marriage may have been due to the fact that friends described her as coarse, arrogant, eccentric, highly outspoken, and loud (webster.com.) She died relatively poor and alone in 1960.
Although growing up poor, Hurston did not portray the black community as underprivileged or a wounded people. She did not want the community to integrate into the white community for fear they would lose their identity. She influenced many writers, including Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and Alice Walker, who would go on to revive Hurston’s writings.
Her works included Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life; Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Mules and Men; Tell My Horse; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Moses, Man of the Mountain; Dust Tracks on the Road; and Seraph on Suwanee.
References:
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/hurs-zorx.htm
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/hurston.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hurstonzoraneale/p/hurston_bio.htm
Literary Critic Review Article- Laurel Blanchard
Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Truly Excellent Read
There is much to be said about a story with substance, depth, and a sense of empowerment. That is exactly what Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Are Watching God delivers. The protagonist, and main character, Janie Crawford, is the flawless picture of the three words listed above. She develops a sense of self, and deals with the person vs. person conflict in the story. This conflict is identified as she struggles with her free spirit and being bogged down by people close to her such as her grandmother, her first husband, Jody, and the people of her hometown: Eatonville. The conflict, however, is only a piece of the big picture.
The conflict in this novel, as well as Janie as a character, is brilliantly tied with the theme: finding and embracing a sense of self. Janie is first forced into a marriage by her grandmother which prevents her from starting life on her own the way she wants to. When this marriage fails, she finds herself later married to a man who completely suppresses Janie’s ability to express herself as a human being. By the time her second marriage comes to an end due to the death of her husband, Janie discovers a new sense freedom. When Janie marries her third husband, she has realized that she doesn’t care what society’s opinion is and marries a man twelve years younger than she is. This marriage opens up the ability for Janie to explore the world even more, and discover her free spirit. At the end of the story, Janie is forced to kill her husband out of self-defense. This is the final straw in Janie’s self-development. It speaks to the fact that she was done being controlled or tied down by people around her, and had confidence in herself enough to make that big decision. One of the very last lines in the novel has a powerful connection to this theme: “She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder.”(193) This line seems to signify that Janie has “pulled in the reins,” and is finally settling. She seems to finally be satisfied with who she is, and has ended her search.
With a rather deep theme, the symbols used in this novel are much worth noting as well. The most up-front symbol in the story is Janie’s hair. This seems to represent her free spirit. When Jody forces Janie to tie her long, flowing hair up on a daily basis, this represents Jody’s suppression of Janie herself, along with her free spirit. Another notable symbol in the story is the hurricane Janie and Tea Cake survive. This symbolizes the harshness of the world. As Janie is on her conquest to find herself, she encounters this cruelty of the world around her through her emotionally abusive ex-husband, the harsh words of her neighbors, and the betrayal of her community as she goes through her murder trial. Guns also serve as a symbol throughout this story. They symbolize the sense of empowerment Janie receives as the story comes to an end. Her husband, Tea Cake, taught her how to shoot a gun, and she later used the weapon in self defense when he becomes severely abusive due to an illness. Hurston truly does an impeccable job interweaving these symbols into her novel, and the story is all the better because of it.
With smooth writing, an intriguing plot, and unforgettable characters, Zora Neale Hurston successfully crafted a brilliant story with an entertaining main character, a theme with substance, and meaningful symbols. In essence, the mechanics of the plot are really what make the excellence of this story. A perfect five out of five stars, this novel has plenty to offer its readers. There is much to enjoy about reading an addicting book. Thank goodness for talented authors and good reads.
There is much to be said about a story with substance, depth, and a sense of empowerment. That is exactly what Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Are Watching God delivers. The protagonist, and main character, Janie Crawford, is the flawless picture of the three words listed above. She develops a sense of self, and deals with the person vs. person conflict in the story. This conflict is identified as she struggles with her free spirit and being bogged down by people close to her such as her grandmother, her first husband, Jody, and the people of her hometown: Eatonville. The conflict, however, is only a piece of the big picture.
The conflict in this novel, as well as Janie as a character, is brilliantly tied with the theme: finding and embracing a sense of self. Janie is first forced into a marriage by her grandmother which prevents her from starting life on her own the way she wants to. When this marriage fails, she finds herself later married to a man who completely suppresses Janie’s ability to express herself as a human being. By the time her second marriage comes to an end due to the death of her husband, Janie discovers a new sense freedom. When Janie marries her third husband, she has realized that she doesn’t care what society’s opinion is and marries a man twelve years younger than she is. This marriage opens up the ability for Janie to explore the world even more, and discover her free spirit. At the end of the story, Janie is forced to kill her husband out of self-defense. This is the final straw in Janie’s self-development. It speaks to the fact that she was done being controlled or tied down by people around her, and had confidence in herself enough to make that big decision. One of the very last lines in the novel has a powerful connection to this theme: “She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder.”(193) This line seems to signify that Janie has “pulled in the reins,” and is finally settling. She seems to finally be satisfied with who she is, and has ended her search.
With a rather deep theme, the symbols used in this novel are much worth noting as well. The most up-front symbol in the story is Janie’s hair. This seems to represent her free spirit. When Jody forces Janie to tie her long, flowing hair up on a daily basis, this represents Jody’s suppression of Janie herself, along with her free spirit. Another notable symbol in the story is the hurricane Janie and Tea Cake survive. This symbolizes the harshness of the world. As Janie is on her conquest to find herself, she encounters this cruelty of the world around her through her emotionally abusive ex-husband, the harsh words of her neighbors, and the betrayal of her community as she goes through her murder trial. Guns also serve as a symbol throughout this story. They symbolize the sense of empowerment Janie receives as the story comes to an end. Her husband, Tea Cake, taught her how to shoot a gun, and she later used the weapon in self defense when he becomes severely abusive due to an illness. Hurston truly does an impeccable job interweaving these symbols into her novel, and the story is all the better because of it.
With smooth writing, an intriguing plot, and unforgettable characters, Zora Neale Hurston successfully crafted a brilliant story with an entertaining main character, a theme with substance, and meaningful symbols. In essence, the mechanics of the plot are really what make the excellence of this story. A perfect five out of five stars, this novel has plenty to offer its readers. There is much to enjoy about reading an addicting book. Thank goodness for talented authors and good reads.
World View Comparison- Carl Christenson
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Hurston, presented a predominantly New Age Pantheist worldview that becomes remarkably apparent through the comparison of the actions and beliefs of her protagonist, Janie, and a Christian theistic worldview. Although, this would seem to be the overriding worldview, one must be academically honest and admit that Hurston seems to diverge, presenting a naturalistic worldview as well, therefore creating a hybrid of two worldviews. Examining several idealistic worldview questions, and contrasting each of them against a Christian theistic worldview, the New Age Pantheistic worldview is exposed as the primary worldview.
By examining textual evidence, both spoken and implied, Janie’s answer to the fundamental question, “who am I?” becomes readily apparent. “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches” (pg.8). Throughout the novel Janie’s attempt to attain personal identification with nature is apparent. She believes that nature is flawless, and that self-fulfillment, or rather personal identity, is only attainable through the unhindered pursuit of nature-imbued feelings. In her continual quest for perfect communion with nature, she despises the attempts of others to mold her life. Her answer to the question ‘Who am I?’ would reflect the New Age Pantheist worldview which blurs the line of distinction between mankind, the animal kingdom, and the rest of creation, and further claims that “All life has a spark of divinity. In stark contrast, the Christian worldview adamantly affirms that man is a creation of God, formed in his own likeness. Basing their worldview upon the belief of the inerrancy of the Scriptures, the basis for the Christian theistic conviction of identity comes from Genesis 1:27, which states “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”.
A similar question often asked when evaluating a worldview is, “where did I come from?”. Janie seems to follow a New Age Pantheistic belief system, but when examining the question of “Where did I come from?”, a response from the naturalistic view is the surprising answer. Although, the text never seems to address this point of ‘personal origin’ specifically and seems to avoid any implications as to the belief of the author or protagonist, it could be extrapolated by the unspoken actions of Janie that she was reflecting a naturalistic response, but this is still left to personal interpretation. It is possible that Janie was convinced that she was merely the result of a horrific animal-like raping. She was certain that her appearance was a result of an evolutionary tendency: stronger beast imposing its will upon another. "But one day she didn't come home at de usual time and Ah waited and waited, but she never did come all dat night....Dat school teacher had done hid her in de woods all night long, and he had done raped mah baby and run on off just before day." Stoically listening to her grandmother’s recollection, Janie seems to accept this tale as the only basis for her existence, dismissing the influence of an omnipotent Creator. Unlike this naturalistic reasoning for existence, the Christian Theist proclaims the purposeful hand of God in the existence of man. “God created mankind, male and female, in his own image with dominion over all the creatures” (The Shorter Catechism, Gen. 1:28).
’Where am I going?’ is an oft-asked question whose answer is indicative of one’s resulting outlook on life. Janie strives to achieve communion with self and a perfect harmony with nature.
“She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom, and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid” (pg. 11).
This Pantheistic desire of having marriage imitate a union found in nature was Janie’s ultimate goal. Throughout the novel she struggled to attain this very notion (pg 192). Likewise, Janie believed that her ultimate destiny was to attain self-efficacy. She would not allow this pursuit to be hindered by anyone else’s standards. “Yo’ papa and yo’ mama and nobody else can’t tell yuh and show yuh. Two thins everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (pg 192). Learning to live for herself and achieving perfect accord with nature were Janie’s fundamental ambitions. This is where she believed her life was destined to go. Conversely, the Christian theist recognizes that their final destiny is heaven, and therefore strives for a more perfect unity with God through His son, Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Christian theist focuses upon heaven as their ultimate destiny, while the New Age Pantheist focuses upon harmony with nature and self-fulfillment.
Identifying the standards for truth is a telling trait of a worldview. Janie determines truth through personal interpretation. She governs her own morals, destiny, and boundaries and is truly fulfilled when she becomes her own god. “Then you must tell ‘em dat love ain’t somethin’ lak uh grindstone dat’s de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets and it’s different with every shore”(pg 191). As Janie proclaims this personal proverb to Pheoby, she asserts the absence of absolutes. Using love as an example, Janie claims that the basis of truth is different based upon the individual. Unlike the New Age Pantheist who determines truth based upon a personal emotional response in reaction to nature-imbued feelings, the theist is assured of the truth through the written word of God. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10).
The foundation for morality is a personalized shifting standard for the Pantheist. Janie mirrors this irregular standard, determining the correctness of her actions based upon whatever brings her a sense of self-fulfillment. “There was nothing to do in life anymore. Ambition was useless. And the cruel deceit of Janie! Making all that show of humbleness and scorning him all the time! Laughing at him, and now putting the town up to do the same” (pg 80). As Janie’s husband, Joe, lies in anguish, unwilling to forgive Janie’s slur, Janie feels that her actions were vindicated. While assessing her own actions as acceptable, she berates Joe for his similar treatment of her (pg86). This shifting moral standard is based upon a New Age Pantheistic worldview whose very capstone is the belief of no absolutes. Rather than distinguishing clearly, they shun logic, claiming that two separate and contrasting ideas can simultaneously be true. While the moral standards are an unpredictable set of ever shifting and capricious rules, Christian theism is founded upon a set code of standards given through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and precisely recorded in the Scriptures (Matthew 19:17).
In the New Age Pantheistic worldview, existence of God is claimed to reside in all things. While Janie never denies the existence of a supreme God, she believes that God is irrelevant and his existence, if he exists, is inconsequential because she herself is god. “She looked hard for something up there to move for a sign. A star in the daytime, maybe or the sun to shout, or even a mutter of thunder…The sky stayed hard looking and quiet so she went inside the house. God would do less than He had in His heart” (pg 179). After looking, Janie dismisses any possible action upon God’s part and believes that only her personal actions will result in the final outcome. The very foundation of the Christian theistic worldview is founded upon the existence of an involved God. This worldview can be summed by the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.”
This story ends with Janie satisfied with her life, feeling that she has achieved that which she has struggled to attain. Since the novel was written from pantheistic/naturalistic hybrid worldview, the application that the author wishes to convey is that living for one’s self will ultimately lead to personal satisfaction. However, as a Christian theist would recognize that Janie’s actions, despite their portrayal as, not only understandable and necessary but good, were a result of a lack of moral parameters and will not contribute to happiness in the long run. The novel presented Janie’s divorce to her first husband and gross disrespect to her second as vindicated actions that ultimately resulted in personal happiness. Recognizing and rejecting these subliminal messages that advocate pantheistic ideals is a necessary ability for a Christian theist. Likewise, the Christian theist should cognitively assess Janie’s the sinful actions and recognize that “there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:21).
Ultimately, when one compares the foundational questions of ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where did I come from?’,’ Where am I going?’, ‘What is true and false?’, ‘How should I conduct my life?’, and ‘Does God exist, and, if so, what is my response to Him?’ from the perspective of Hurston’s protagonist, Janie, and a Christian theistic worldview, the New Age Pantheistic worldview becomes remarkably exposed as the predominant worldview in Hurston’s novel. While this seems to be the prevailing belief system, Hurston presents a hybrid worldview, answering most questions from the ideas of a pantheist, but others from the standpoint of a naturalist. Most importantly, one should not merely read a novel, accepting the subliminal messages that advocate other worldview ideals, but rather examine the work for each theme and weigh it against a personal Christian theistic worldview to expose the erroneous principles.
Works Cited:
Their Eyes Were Watching God Hurston, Zora
Worldviews Solomon, Jerry
The Holy Bible
By examining textual evidence, both spoken and implied, Janie’s answer to the fundamental question, “who am I?” becomes readily apparent. “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches” (pg.8). Throughout the novel Janie’s attempt to attain personal identification with nature is apparent. She believes that nature is flawless, and that self-fulfillment, or rather personal identity, is only attainable through the unhindered pursuit of nature-imbued feelings. In her continual quest for perfect communion with nature, she despises the attempts of others to mold her life. Her answer to the question ‘Who am I?’ would reflect the New Age Pantheist worldview which blurs the line of distinction between mankind, the animal kingdom, and the rest of creation, and further claims that “All life has a spark of divinity. In stark contrast, the Christian worldview adamantly affirms that man is a creation of God, formed in his own likeness. Basing their worldview upon the belief of the inerrancy of the Scriptures, the basis for the Christian theistic conviction of identity comes from Genesis 1:27, which states “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”.
A similar question often asked when evaluating a worldview is, “where did I come from?”. Janie seems to follow a New Age Pantheistic belief system, but when examining the question of “Where did I come from?”, a response from the naturalistic view is the surprising answer. Although, the text never seems to address this point of ‘personal origin’ specifically and seems to avoid any implications as to the belief of the author or protagonist, it could be extrapolated by the unspoken actions of Janie that she was reflecting a naturalistic response, but this is still left to personal interpretation. It is possible that Janie was convinced that she was merely the result of a horrific animal-like raping. She was certain that her appearance was a result of an evolutionary tendency: stronger beast imposing its will upon another. "But one day she didn't come home at de usual time and Ah waited and waited, but she never did come all dat night....Dat school teacher had done hid her in de woods all night long, and he had done raped mah baby and run on off just before day." Stoically listening to her grandmother’s recollection, Janie seems to accept this tale as the only basis for her existence, dismissing the influence of an omnipotent Creator. Unlike this naturalistic reasoning for existence, the Christian Theist proclaims the purposeful hand of God in the existence of man. “God created mankind, male and female, in his own image with dominion over all the creatures” (The Shorter Catechism, Gen. 1:28).
’Where am I going?’ is an oft-asked question whose answer is indicative of one’s resulting outlook on life. Janie strives to achieve communion with self and a perfect harmony with nature.
“She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom, and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid” (pg. 11).
This Pantheistic desire of having marriage imitate a union found in nature was Janie’s ultimate goal. Throughout the novel she struggled to attain this very notion (pg 192). Likewise, Janie believed that her ultimate destiny was to attain self-efficacy. She would not allow this pursuit to be hindered by anyone else’s standards. “Yo’ papa and yo’ mama and nobody else can’t tell yuh and show yuh. Two thins everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (pg 192). Learning to live for herself and achieving perfect accord with nature were Janie’s fundamental ambitions. This is where she believed her life was destined to go. Conversely, the Christian theist recognizes that their final destiny is heaven, and therefore strives for a more perfect unity with God through His son, Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Christian theist focuses upon heaven as their ultimate destiny, while the New Age Pantheist focuses upon harmony with nature and self-fulfillment.
Identifying the standards for truth is a telling trait of a worldview. Janie determines truth through personal interpretation. She governs her own morals, destiny, and boundaries and is truly fulfilled when she becomes her own god. “Then you must tell ‘em dat love ain’t somethin’ lak uh grindstone dat’s de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets and it’s different with every shore”(pg 191). As Janie proclaims this personal proverb to Pheoby, she asserts the absence of absolutes. Using love as an example, Janie claims that the basis of truth is different based upon the individual. Unlike the New Age Pantheist who determines truth based upon a personal emotional response in reaction to nature-imbued feelings, the theist is assured of the truth through the written word of God. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10).
The foundation for morality is a personalized shifting standard for the Pantheist. Janie mirrors this irregular standard, determining the correctness of her actions based upon whatever brings her a sense of self-fulfillment. “There was nothing to do in life anymore. Ambition was useless. And the cruel deceit of Janie! Making all that show of humbleness and scorning him all the time! Laughing at him, and now putting the town up to do the same” (pg 80). As Janie’s husband, Joe, lies in anguish, unwilling to forgive Janie’s slur, Janie feels that her actions were vindicated. While assessing her own actions as acceptable, she berates Joe for his similar treatment of her (pg86). This shifting moral standard is based upon a New Age Pantheistic worldview whose very capstone is the belief of no absolutes. Rather than distinguishing clearly, they shun logic, claiming that two separate and contrasting ideas can simultaneously be true. While the moral standards are an unpredictable set of ever shifting and capricious rules, Christian theism is founded upon a set code of standards given through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and precisely recorded in the Scriptures (Matthew 19:17).
In the New Age Pantheistic worldview, existence of God is claimed to reside in all things. While Janie never denies the existence of a supreme God, she believes that God is irrelevant and his existence, if he exists, is inconsequential because she herself is god. “She looked hard for something up there to move for a sign. A star in the daytime, maybe or the sun to shout, or even a mutter of thunder…The sky stayed hard looking and quiet so she went inside the house. God would do less than He had in His heart” (pg 179). After looking, Janie dismisses any possible action upon God’s part and believes that only her personal actions will result in the final outcome. The very foundation of the Christian theistic worldview is founded upon the existence of an involved God. This worldview can be summed by the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.”
This story ends with Janie satisfied with her life, feeling that she has achieved that which she has struggled to attain. Since the novel was written from pantheistic/naturalistic hybrid worldview, the application that the author wishes to convey is that living for one’s self will ultimately lead to personal satisfaction. However, as a Christian theist would recognize that Janie’s actions, despite their portrayal as, not only understandable and necessary but good, were a result of a lack of moral parameters and will not contribute to happiness in the long run. The novel presented Janie’s divorce to her first husband and gross disrespect to her second as vindicated actions that ultimately resulted in personal happiness. Recognizing and rejecting these subliminal messages that advocate pantheistic ideals is a necessary ability for a Christian theist. Likewise, the Christian theist should cognitively assess Janie’s the sinful actions and recognize that “there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:21).
Ultimately, when one compares the foundational questions of ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where did I come from?’,’ Where am I going?’, ‘What is true and false?’, ‘How should I conduct my life?’, and ‘Does God exist, and, if so, what is my response to Him?’ from the perspective of Hurston’s protagonist, Janie, and a Christian theistic worldview, the New Age Pantheistic worldview becomes remarkably exposed as the predominant worldview in Hurston’s novel. While this seems to be the prevailing belief system, Hurston presents a hybrid worldview, answering most questions from the ideas of a pantheist, but others from the standpoint of a naturalist. Most importantly, one should not merely read a novel, accepting the subliminal messages that advocate other worldview ideals, but rather examine the work for each theme and weigh it against a personal Christian theistic worldview to expose the erroneous principles.
Works Cited:
Their Eyes Were Watching God Hurston, Zora
Worldviews Solomon, Jerry
The Holy Bible
Historical Context- Joshua Jenson
In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God the author, Zora Neale Hurston, uses her novel to depict the harsh society of her time for her fellow African Americans. There are three main historical issues that Hurston integrates into the book. Racism, all black towns, and in some ways the Great Depression are all found in the book. The novel presents great examples of each of these by placing Janie into each of these situations.
Contrary to popular belief, racism toward African Americans did not stop at the end of the Civil War. It continued even after World War I, when black and white soldiers fought alongside each other. It was still a great struggle to find work, to find friends, and to find a good place to live for colored people especially in the southern states. Hurston gives a good example of this when Janie is forced to marry Logan. Her grandmother saw the struggles of the colored folks around her and did not want Janie to have to face the racist society around them.
We also see the racist attitude toward the colored folks when Tea Cake is travelling in the streets after the hurricane. He was forced to bury the dead by the two white men. If he had been a white man, he would probably have been put in charge of the black people working. Racism is also present in that the white people who were killed in the hurricane were buried in coffins while the colored people were buried in mass graves. Hurston’s two examples are great illustrations of the racism that was present in that period of time.
Another historical nugget that is present in the story is the all black town that Jody builds the store at. There were about fifty of these towns that were spread across the southern states during Hurston’s time. Most of these all-black towns were in Oklahoma. The main purpose of these towns was to get away from the racism and segregation that was rampant in the south. These towns did quite well, but as in the book, many of them lacked the proper leadership. These towns attracted hundreds of colored people who longed for a world where everyone had equal rights. Some of these towns became very dangerous for white people to enter because of the hatred built between the whites and blacks. Hurston grew up in one of these towns called Eatonville, Florida.
This book was written on the brink of the Great Depression. Although the novel does not contain very much about the unemployment of this time, it is present in between the lines. It was twice as hard for a black person to get a job because of racism. Unemployment caused many of the colored folks to appear lazy like Coker and Hicks. At the time Hurston wrote the book the unemployment rate was about fifteen to twenty-five percent in the south. This caused the blacks to travel to the places that had work like the farm Janie and Tea Cake worked at. The problem was that these jobs were depleting because of the boll weevils eating the plants, soil erosion, and growing foreign markets. Tea Cake and Janie stayed on the same farm because they did not want to travel hundreds of miles between farms like the others. Unemployment indirectly affected Janie’s decisions throughout the story.
Hurston captures the hardships of being colored during the early 1900’s. Janie has experiences with racism, the all-black towns, and unemployment throughout the story. Racism was by far the biggest problem, especially in Janie’s first marriage. The influences of Hurston’s time period on her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, creates a very clear picture of what it would be to live like in that time period under her current circumstances.
P.S. I intend no racism in referring to people as colored, African-American, white, or black. I apologize for any discomfort these references may cause.
Contrary to popular belief, racism toward African Americans did not stop at the end of the Civil War. It continued even after World War I, when black and white soldiers fought alongside each other. It was still a great struggle to find work, to find friends, and to find a good place to live for colored people especially in the southern states. Hurston gives a good example of this when Janie is forced to marry Logan. Her grandmother saw the struggles of the colored folks around her and did not want Janie to have to face the racist society around them.
We also see the racist attitude toward the colored folks when Tea Cake is travelling in the streets after the hurricane. He was forced to bury the dead by the two white men. If he had been a white man, he would probably have been put in charge of the black people working. Racism is also present in that the white people who were killed in the hurricane were buried in coffins while the colored people were buried in mass graves. Hurston’s two examples are great illustrations of the racism that was present in that period of time.
Another historical nugget that is present in the story is the all black town that Jody builds the store at. There were about fifty of these towns that were spread across the southern states during Hurston’s time. Most of these all-black towns were in Oklahoma. The main purpose of these towns was to get away from the racism and segregation that was rampant in the south. These towns did quite well, but as in the book, many of them lacked the proper leadership. These towns attracted hundreds of colored people who longed for a world where everyone had equal rights. Some of these towns became very dangerous for white people to enter because of the hatred built between the whites and blacks. Hurston grew up in one of these towns called Eatonville, Florida.
This book was written on the brink of the Great Depression. Although the novel does not contain very much about the unemployment of this time, it is present in between the lines. It was twice as hard for a black person to get a job because of racism. Unemployment caused many of the colored folks to appear lazy like Coker and Hicks. At the time Hurston wrote the book the unemployment rate was about fifteen to twenty-five percent in the south. This caused the blacks to travel to the places that had work like the farm Janie and Tea Cake worked at. The problem was that these jobs were depleting because of the boll weevils eating the plants, soil erosion, and growing foreign markets. Tea Cake and Janie stayed on the same farm because they did not want to travel hundreds of miles between farms like the others. Unemployment indirectly affected Janie’s decisions throughout the story.
Hurston captures the hardships of being colored during the early 1900’s. Janie has experiences with racism, the all-black towns, and unemployment throughout the story. Racism was by far the biggest problem, especially in Janie’s first marriage. The influences of Hurston’s time period on her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, creates a very clear picture of what it would be to live like in that time period under her current circumstances.
P.S. I intend no racism in referring to people as colored, African-American, white, or black. I apologize for any discomfort these references may cause.
Symbolism Evaluation- Anna Froemming
What do the following have in common: hair, a mule, the horizon, a pear tree, and eyes? They seem like rather obscure objects that would have nothing in common. Zora Neale Hurston uses all of these symbols in her story Their Eyes Were Watching God. Each of the symbols reflects a stage in the main character’s life and develops more fully as the story progresses.
The most significant symbol in Their Eyes Were Watching God comes in the form of the main character’s hair. Janie’s hair represents her current situation in life and how much oppression she is under. Her hair changes throughout the story from a simple braid in the back of her head to hidden in a kerchief as not to be noticed. The hair takes on many different styles, but always comes back to how it started when she was a young, carefree girl (Hurston, 14).
The first time her hair is mentioned in the book is when Janie returns from being with Tea Cake. She had it in a long braid down her back, and the gossipers of the town were outraged and wanted to know why she had “her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal.” (2) These women assume that hairstyle equates age, but Janie shows them the opposite, rebelling against cultural norms to define herself. Janie’s hair also became an entity that her husbands enjoy. Both Tea Cake and Jody found themselves fingering her hair and admiring it, both, at the time, truly in love with Janie. When they cease to be in awe of Janie’s hair, Janie realized that the relationship has taken a negative turn. Jody tells Janie that “her hair was NOT going to show in the store” therefore repressing Janie and giving a good example of their relationship (55). When Jody died, “she tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair” realizing that she had been freed from Jody oppressive nature (87). Right after this she put it back up and went to tell the people that her husband has died, all the while maintaining her image that Jody forced on her. After the funeral, she again braided her hair and began the search for love all over again, symbolizing her new life. Hair, for Janie, was her freedom of expression: something that was precious to her and something that she took great care of. Although her hair changed stages throughout the story, Janie’s desires and personality remained constant.
The next most significant symbol in the story is that of the horizon. The horizon is used to portray a new day or the ending of one part of Janie’s life. The author uses this symbol of new life when Janie runs away from her first husband, Logan, to run away with Jody (33). To Janie, the horizon is something that remains in the distant, like a dream that can never be attained. Again the horizon appears when she first meets Tea Cake and falls in love (99). At the end of the story when she has gone through all three husbands, she comes back to her friend Pheoby and explains “Ah done been tuh de horizon and back and now Ah kin set heah in mah house and live by comparisons”(191). Janie realizes that sometimes what seems to lie in the future is not all that we expect it to be. She is now content with her life and chooses to live in the present.
The third most significant symbol in the story is the budding pear tree. It is first introduced when Janie is very young. She has decided to lie underneath it and examine its brand new buds. She felt like the pear tree is a mystery to be solved saying, “from barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom” wondering how the tree can change so much in one year (10). Janie yearns to be a tree and to have people come to her like the bees to the blossoms. She herself was of age; she had bloomed, but was only waiting for the bees to visit her. Not only does the tree model her growth through life, she often thinks back on it in times of change. One example of this is when she first meets Tea Cake. “[Tea Cake] could be a bee to a blossom--a pear tree blossom in the spring”(106). Janie realizes that Tea Cake could fulfill all the longings that she has and meet her dreams. Unfortunately, this longing is not met by men, but by the realization that only she can carry out her dreams.
The forth most important symbol in the story is where the title is derived from. The “eyes” in Their Eyes Were Watching God symbolize God’s favor on the world and on Janie’s current situation. Their eyes watched God because they were looking to Him to see if He was aware of the hardships they were going through and to see if He cared. The story begins with the following quote:
Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. (1)
This passage explains the view of God that the characters hold and how only with God’s favor a dream could be met. This is also shown when Janie first meets Tea Cake. She calls him “a glance from God,” indicating the favor that she feels that God has shown her by allowing them to be together. When the hurricane hits, “they seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God” (160). Again they look to him for favor and seek his blessing and protection on their lives.
The fifth most important symbol in the story is the mule. The mule symbolizes the role that the black women of society took (14). They were oppressed by their husbands and mistreated as property. They worked for almost no benefit and did what they are told. Janie has pity on a mule when she saw the mistreatment of it (56). In some ways she identified with the mule and knew how it felt. Both she and the mule were stubborn and tough, but in the end, the mule got more attention at death from her husband than she ever did. Throughout all of her oppression, Janie still maintains her true self.
Hurston uses very powerful and creative symbols in her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. Whether in nature or a characteristic of a human, she weaves hidden meaning into them all. These obscure objects become one of great reverence and admiration to a largely unwritten area of society, the black community. Some symbols change over time, but others do not. No matter Janie’s circumstances, she remains true to her dream and true to herself.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.
The most significant symbol in Their Eyes Were Watching God comes in the form of the main character’s hair. Janie’s hair represents her current situation in life and how much oppression she is under. Her hair changes throughout the story from a simple braid in the back of her head to hidden in a kerchief as not to be noticed. The hair takes on many different styles, but always comes back to how it started when she was a young, carefree girl (Hurston, 14).
The first time her hair is mentioned in the book is when Janie returns from being with Tea Cake. She had it in a long braid down her back, and the gossipers of the town were outraged and wanted to know why she had “her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal.” (2) These women assume that hairstyle equates age, but Janie shows them the opposite, rebelling against cultural norms to define herself. Janie’s hair also became an entity that her husbands enjoy. Both Tea Cake and Jody found themselves fingering her hair and admiring it, both, at the time, truly in love with Janie. When they cease to be in awe of Janie’s hair, Janie realized that the relationship has taken a negative turn. Jody tells Janie that “her hair was NOT going to show in the store” therefore repressing Janie and giving a good example of their relationship (55). When Jody died, “she tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair” realizing that she had been freed from Jody oppressive nature (87). Right after this she put it back up and went to tell the people that her husband has died, all the while maintaining her image that Jody forced on her. After the funeral, she again braided her hair and began the search for love all over again, symbolizing her new life. Hair, for Janie, was her freedom of expression: something that was precious to her and something that she took great care of. Although her hair changed stages throughout the story, Janie’s desires and personality remained constant.
The next most significant symbol in the story is that of the horizon. The horizon is used to portray a new day or the ending of one part of Janie’s life. The author uses this symbol of new life when Janie runs away from her first husband, Logan, to run away with Jody (33). To Janie, the horizon is something that remains in the distant, like a dream that can never be attained. Again the horizon appears when she first meets Tea Cake and falls in love (99). At the end of the story when she has gone through all three husbands, she comes back to her friend Pheoby and explains “Ah done been tuh de horizon and back and now Ah kin set heah in mah house and live by comparisons”(191). Janie realizes that sometimes what seems to lie in the future is not all that we expect it to be. She is now content with her life and chooses to live in the present.
The third most significant symbol in the story is the budding pear tree. It is first introduced when Janie is very young. She has decided to lie underneath it and examine its brand new buds. She felt like the pear tree is a mystery to be solved saying, “from barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom” wondering how the tree can change so much in one year (10). Janie yearns to be a tree and to have people come to her like the bees to the blossoms. She herself was of age; she had bloomed, but was only waiting for the bees to visit her. Not only does the tree model her growth through life, she often thinks back on it in times of change. One example of this is when she first meets Tea Cake. “[Tea Cake] could be a bee to a blossom--a pear tree blossom in the spring”(106). Janie realizes that Tea Cake could fulfill all the longings that she has and meet her dreams. Unfortunately, this longing is not met by men, but by the realization that only she can carry out her dreams.
The forth most important symbol in the story is where the title is derived from. The “eyes” in Their Eyes Were Watching God symbolize God’s favor on the world and on Janie’s current situation. Their eyes watched God because they were looking to Him to see if He was aware of the hardships they were going through and to see if He cared. The story begins with the following quote:
Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. (1)
This passage explains the view of God that the characters hold and how only with God’s favor a dream could be met. This is also shown when Janie first meets Tea Cake. She calls him “a glance from God,” indicating the favor that she feels that God has shown her by allowing them to be together. When the hurricane hits, “they seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God” (160). Again they look to him for favor and seek his blessing and protection on their lives.
The fifth most important symbol in the story is the mule. The mule symbolizes the role that the black women of society took (14). They were oppressed by their husbands and mistreated as property. They worked for almost no benefit and did what they are told. Janie has pity on a mule when she saw the mistreatment of it (56). In some ways she identified with the mule and knew how it felt. Both she and the mule were stubborn and tough, but in the end, the mule got more attention at death from her husband than she ever did. Throughout all of her oppression, Janie still maintains her true self.
Hurston uses very powerful and creative symbols in her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. Whether in nature or a characteristic of a human, she weaves hidden meaning into them all. These obscure objects become one of great reverence and admiration to a largely unwritten area of society, the black community. Some symbols change over time, but others do not. No matter Janie’s circumstances, she remains true to her dream and true to herself.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.
Cast of Characters- Laurel Blanchard
Janie Crawford: Protagonist of the novel. She is strong, witty, and independent. Janie was raised by her grandmother, who she refers to as “Nanny.” Her father was never in the picture, and her mother took off shortly after Janie’s birth. Janie flaunts her long, flowing, beautiful black hair which serves as a symbol of her free spirit. Janie has a good heart and is curious mind about the world in which she lives.
Nanny Crawford: Janie’s grandmother. Nanny’s previous experience as a slave gave her “thick skin” which she hopes to pass on to Janie. She is rather strict, but all because she has high expectations for her granddaughter. She did her best to instill virtues and confidence in Janie.
Johnny Taylor: Janie’s first kiss. Their relationship stops there, however, when Nanny witnesses the kiss and harshly scolds Janie for it.
Pheoby Watson: Janie’s close friend from Eatonville. She is a listening ear and has Janie’s back when the neighbors start speaking poorly of her. She is an honest, down to earth friend who would do anything for Janie.
Logan Killicks: Janie’s first of three husbands. Logan comes from a respectable family in town, which Nanny valued and arranged the marriage of Logan and Janie. Unfortunately, Janie never had true love for Logan and wound up leaving him for a different man.
Jody Starks: Janie’s second husband. What seemed to be true love at first was proved to be everything but in the end. Jody turns out to be a conceited, selfish man with a love of power. He was uninterested in Janie’s well being as a person and never showed her true love and respect.
Tea Cake (Vergible) Woods: Janie’s third husband, and first true love. He sweeps Janie away with his caring heart and fresh personality. Although he is twelve years younger than Janie is, they hit it off and have a loving relationship. Tea Cake’s devotion, respect, and complete adoration for Janie become forgotten, though, when he later gets sick and becomes violent towards her before he suffers a tragic death.
Hezekiah Potts: An employee at Jody’s shop and a friend of Janie’s.
Nunkie: A short-lived character in the story, Nunkie is a girl in the Everglades who loves to flirt with Tea Cake. Janie becomes very jealous of Nunkie, but Tea Cake reassures her that nothing is going on between the two of them.
Dr. Simmons: A well respected doctor in the Everglades who comes to Janie’s help when Tea Cake is deathly ill.
Motor Boat: A friend of Tea Cake and Janie in the Everglades. Motor Boat begins the flee from the hurricane with Tea Cake and Janie, but later stays in an abandoned house until the storm passes.
Sop-De-Bottom: Tea Cake’s friend, and seems to disapprove of Janie when he speaks against her in the murder trial.
Nanny Crawford: Janie’s grandmother. Nanny’s previous experience as a slave gave her “thick skin” which she hopes to pass on to Janie. She is rather strict, but all because she has high expectations for her granddaughter. She did her best to instill virtues and confidence in Janie.
Johnny Taylor: Janie’s first kiss. Their relationship stops there, however, when Nanny witnesses the kiss and harshly scolds Janie for it.
Pheoby Watson: Janie’s close friend from Eatonville. She is a listening ear and has Janie’s back when the neighbors start speaking poorly of her. She is an honest, down to earth friend who would do anything for Janie.
Logan Killicks: Janie’s first of three husbands. Logan comes from a respectable family in town, which Nanny valued and arranged the marriage of Logan and Janie. Unfortunately, Janie never had true love for Logan and wound up leaving him for a different man.
Jody Starks: Janie’s second husband. What seemed to be true love at first was proved to be everything but in the end. Jody turns out to be a conceited, selfish man with a love of power. He was uninterested in Janie’s well being as a person and never showed her true love and respect.
Tea Cake (Vergible) Woods: Janie’s third husband, and first true love. He sweeps Janie away with his caring heart and fresh personality. Although he is twelve years younger than Janie is, they hit it off and have a loving relationship. Tea Cake’s devotion, respect, and complete adoration for Janie become forgotten, though, when he later gets sick and becomes violent towards her before he suffers a tragic death.
Hezekiah Potts: An employee at Jody’s shop and a friend of Janie’s.
Nunkie: A short-lived character in the story, Nunkie is a girl in the Everglades who loves to flirt with Tea Cake. Janie becomes very jealous of Nunkie, but Tea Cake reassures her that nothing is going on between the two of them.
Dr. Simmons: A well respected doctor in the Everglades who comes to Janie’s help when Tea Cake is deathly ill.
Motor Boat: A friend of Tea Cake and Janie in the Everglades. Motor Boat begins the flee from the hurricane with Tea Cake and Janie, but later stays in an abandoned house until the storm passes.
Sop-De-Bottom: Tea Cake’s friend, and seems to disapprove of Janie when he speaks against her in the murder trial.
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