Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: Character Analysis

Their Eyes were watching God, a novel written by African-American female author Zora Neale Hurston in 1937. In the early 20th century in central Florida, The main character is Janie Crawford an African-American woman now in her early forties telling the story of her life to Pheoby Watson on 3 major periods in her life since she last been to Eatonville. Throughout the book, and she is forced into constant movement down roads after being abandoned by her grandmother and her three husbands. This movement allows her the opportunity to explore and form her ideas and voice in solitude. After her experiences, she stops running away from her problems and being silent and notices that her voice can be heard regardless. Their Eyes Were Watching God,

Jody converses with Janie about traveling, and conquest of the world which I feel symbolizes power, and male dominance which in chapters 5 and 6 as complete dominance over Janie which at first she loved now hated. Jody becomes mayor of Eatonville, builds a store at the festival, Tony Taylor asked Janie to give a speech which Jody denied because he felt that wives shouldn’t make speeches. Janie didn’t comment on his statement, during Janie's employment at the store that Jody owned. Jody doesn’t allow Janie to sit outside and converse with the other people that hung around the store, at the same time he ordered her to wear the head rag over her hair. Earlier I noted that Jody symbolized power and dominance which began taking control over Janie's life and completely destroying the voice Janie once had. At this point Jody may felt that Janie was slipping away from his dominion and he had to get her back under this control. As the years pass, Janie grows more and more defeated. She silently submits to Jody’s imperious nature and performs her duties while ignoring her emotions. She considers running away but doubts that she can find refuge anywhere, feeling that she has grown unattractive. She feels her spirit detach from her body.She loses hope when it becomes clear that her relationship to Jody will not help her realize her dreams. With the death of Jody she released her hair from the head-rag. Janie reasserts her identity as beautiful and arousing woman. Her identity, Jody denied it by trying to suppress her sex appeal and making comments about her aging appearance. Her braid is a symbol, representing her potency and strength something similar to the biblical story of