The Theme Of Relationships In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neal Hurston

Janie had just returned home after the end of a long journey and lives to tell the tale. This happens to be where the story ends but finishes all at once in Zora Neal Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. While many messages can be taken from the narrative that proceeds after Janie returns has many symbols, meanings and themes alike. However, there is an outstanding theme of Relationships that is apparent in the story. Janie ends up in three separate, very different relationships throughout the novel and through each she learns a little more about herself and learns what’s best for her in the end.
The first relationship message in the story appears in Chapter 2 when Janie kisses a boy named Johnny. However, this doesn’t go so well because

Janie flirts with Jody for about two weeks before evidently running off with him to help him venture to a town of all African Americans. A small red flag appears to the reader when Jody makes a big deal while purchasing land for the small town of Eatonville. It is evident that Jody is trying to show off while paying cash for such a large portion of land. While one of the townsfolk try and flirt with Janie and fails. A man named Coker teases the man reassuring him that none of the regular townspeople could woe Janie since she is with such a powerful and rich man. Later Jody becomes the mayor of the town after successfully opening a store and making money from selling land to newcomers. The ceremony of naming Jody mayor is held at his own store. For the ceremony, a character named Taylor asks Janie to give a speech. Jody makes sure this doesn’t happen because he doesn’t think wives should be the ones making speeches. It is apparent that Jody is not happy about this. She doesn’t like the idea of not being equal with her partner. If they are partners than shouldn’t they be equal in every way? Further on while the town is flourishing Jody is continuously building his elitist complex believing he is better than the town people. He won’t allow Jody to socialize with the people how she wants because she is apparently above them. When in reality, the only thing separating Jody and the towns people is money. Jody, like Nanny, was not an “evil”

This was pinned on the fact that he took a dog bite for her and contracted rabies. So Tea Cake isn’t entirely to blame and she realizes that. At this point in the story she is once again alone but it is entirely different this time. To Janie she already found the man she had wanted to find. The idea of being alone isn’t so much of a fear as it is an opportunity. Throughout this book there are many moments that can be related to other works. In this situation the perfect comparison is Kate Chopin’s “The Story Of An Hour”. The protagonist shares a similar moment where her spouse dies from a tragic event and she has a realization:
There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of