FULL ESSAY:
There are endless possible lives we can live, could have lived, will live, that we choose and we experience and we are forever affected by, but what leads us to choose how to live? How does one's desired future versus their expected future shape how they live? In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford tells the tales of her life throughout her many loves and lessons she learns. She shares her upbringing as well as making a life for herself as a biracial woman in the early nineteen hundreds. Throughout her story she meets new people and resides in many places, thus shaping and changing who she is. In her novel, Hurston uses characterization to illustrate the theme of how one’s trust of what
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Many of her characters' lives show this theme and the result of it. One example of this is in Teacakes' character when he rashly decides to not evacuate despite the impending hurricane because of his pride and unbothered approach to life, this leading to his death. Again this is shown in Jody when his power hungry nature and belief in his own power leads him to mistreat Janie and lose their relationship. And finally, this appears in Janie’s constant search for the perfect man leads to a life of constant unhappiness and searching for something that proves evasive. All of these examples show how identity and goals one has for themselves should not shape their every decision and infiltrate their whole life. Hurston’s inclusion of these examples show and warn people of the ways in which one’s drive to manifest the life one thinks they should have at all costs can have dire results. So much leads us to choose how to live but it is the things we value that change us and our lives the most. No, we do not control our lives entirely, but what and who we love will always control us and our futures in some way. It is the things we search, strive, and fight for that lead to our greatest discoveries and as Huston shows us, sometimes our most tragic