Were Watching God Relationships

“The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events: a marriage, or a last-minute rescue from death; but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” – Fay Weldon

He, even in her eyes, is not perfect, however they love each other mutually. For once, one of Janie’s husbands is not trying to dominate and make himself superior. Janie states this mutual love for him at their relationship’s beginning by saying, “he could be a bee to a blossom — a pear tree blossom in the spring”(Hurston ). At last, the mutual relationship like a bee and blossom is possible, both benefit and neither feels left out. He teaches her to shoot, hunt, play checkers, and work outside. Instead of telling Janie what to do he gives her options, creating a two way relationship instead of a dominant partner. As well as being a good man, the circumstances change, in the past Janie had no way to support herself and was younger. In comparison to her old relationships, Janie is older and has quite a bit of money to keep herself standing while with Tea Cake. Janie also loves how sweet and caring Tea Cake is. He expresses his love constantly, like in chapter eleven when he claims, “Things lak dat got uh whole lot tuh do wid convenience, but it ain’t got nothin’ tuh do wid love."(Hurston ). Tea Cakes communicates how he feels constantly, in this quote he claims that despite her age, he loves her unconditionally. As a result this helps to bring them closer as well as shut down her insecurities. The death of Vergible also teaches Janie a cruel lesson, that love can be taken as fast as

More importantly, the relationship teaches her the meaning of togetherness. Tea Cake and Janie did good agricultural work, though Tea Cake was not as wealthy as the two men, Lorgan and Joe. Admittedly, they argued because of Nunkie, who flirted with Tea Cake in a party and because of Tea’s small secrecy. However, after the conflicts melted, they relied on each other in the hurricane and flood. Her insistance of freedom and love is amplified in the sentence, “they stared at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.” She chose to “watching God” and follow the belief in her innermost, despising the doctrine of “watching the white.”

In the book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Janie had many relationships with men. And just like all of her other male companions, Tea Cake played second fiddle to the main character of Janie. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Janie had many different love interest which included the likes of Logan Killicks, Jody Starks, and eventually Tea Cake. Before meeting Tea Cake, Janie was just stringing along in two different marriages that just were not in Janie’s favor in terms of her happiness. Janie’s first two husbands ended up basically being duds when it comes to pleasing and treating Jane properly. However, Janie appeared to have finally found her true happiness once she met Tea Cake.

In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the long-lasting effects of slavery have taken a toll on Janie Crawford. Janie’s grandmother was raped by her master and had a child named Leafy. Leafy, although not born into slavery, endured a similar fate, which led her to run away, leaving her mother to raise her child, Janie. Janie’s appearance, showing strong European features, was both praised and shamed by society. This double standard was created by racism and was able to remain present due to segregation. The minds of black people have been brainwashed into thinking that people with more European features are more beautiful. Janie’s appearance models power, reflects society’s hypocrisy, and shows the distinction between the inner

One major theme authors universally write their stories around concern the power of human relationships. Though writers may take different paths to communicate this, the strength that comes from these unique connections that exist between individuals resonates with everyone. Authors clearly articulate through a myriad of rhetorical devices that maintaining relationships is a fundamental part in personal growth and allows for a stronger sense of self. In finding companionship and comradery. people become capable of evolving and arriving at better understandings of who they are.

Self-discovery is essential to a prosperous life. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie, the main character, discovers who she is through her relationships. Janie learns from each of her experiences, but the most significant are her husbands: Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake. Each of these people attempt to control her thoughts and actions, but Janie rebels against them. Janie stands up for what she believes in, and through these confrontations, she better understands herself. Janie reacts in different ways to people in her life trying to control her, and this can be seen with Grannie, Jody, and Tea Cake.

“Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston”. In this story the main character Janie gets married three times. Her first husband Logan Killicks didn’t work out because she was forced to marry him by her Nanny. The second husband Joe Starks, she kinda had feelings for him, but it wasn’t anything big. Then her third husband was Tea Cake, she love him and actually had feelings for him. Now all three husbands represent something in Janie’s emotional, spiritual, and physical growth.

She meets Tea Cake, falls in love, and later marries him. This marriage is by far the most special and unique marriage Janie has had. Her relationship with Tea Cake is her first true love; which consists of affection, happiness, understanding and everything else that follows. This marriage makes Janie feel like she has a second chance in life to relive her youth. Janie has lots of fun and is truly blessed and happy with Tea Cake. She found the happiness that her two other marriages lacked. Jealousy and caring sets in during this chapter. Janie truly misses and cares about Tea Cake when he is gone for a long time. Janie turns to God and prays saying, “Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin’, Jesus. Ah done waited uh long time”(120). This shows that she misses him because he has been gone for two days but also the fact that she has waited her whole life for a happy and true marriage like she has with Tea Cake. She prays again, this time for his safety, “But oh God, don’t let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it. And God, please suh, don’t let him love nobody else but me”(120). This shows she’s emotionally attached and jealous, which shows attachment.

9. If you could offer Janie advice at this point, what would it be? Explain your rationale.

In the beginning Janie feels as if Tea Cake’s age would effect their relationship. She has strong feelings for him, but on the other hand people are saying he will run off with her money. Janie proves them wrong and runs off and gets married to Tea Cake. He makes Janie feel wanted, she feels like she could be herself. Janie states, "We been tuhgether round two years. If you kind see de light at daybreak, you don 't keer if you die at dusk. It 's so many people never seen de light at all. Ah wuz fumblin ' round and God opened de door" (Hurston 159). She says this quote in the situation of the hurricane. Janie explains that she does not regret anything she has or done with Tea Cake. She would not have done anything differently to save her life. This love and marriage has the most impact on

In Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston develops a contrast between the male and female genders of the time period of the story, and the male and female gender of today. Hurston wrote this novel in or about a time when women were considered simple-minded , women were disempowered by the empowered man in the relationship, and women can only gain power through marriage.

Today is a time of equal opportunity and astonishing miracles for the human race as an entirety. Blacks are running the country, and women are discovering the unthinkable. The earth is billions of years old, yet just about one hundred years ago, it was a completely different world. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a novel by Zora Neale Hurston in which a character Janie yearns to find love in a time of harsh discrimination and violence. In this bitter setting, it seems that the hardest thing for Janie is to find that love. Hurston reflects the struggle of black women in the early 1900s America. However this author's purpose was to describe how in these times anger and societies denial were the recipe for strength and revival. Hurston uses religious allusions, swaying psychological perspectives, and crude gender roles to relocate the readers from our modern day lives to inside Janie’s consciousness and how a black woman overcame and shattered societal expectations.

In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Hurston, Janie’s story reflects the beliefs of the Harlem Renaissance by showing the theme of pride, and disappointment. In the Harlem Renaissance one of the main themes of the African American’s art was pride, and to fight on gaining progress even though thee African Americans were an oppressed race in America. After Janie's kiss grandma had this to say, “Yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh.” This is an example of how grandma wants Janie to grow up and become a respectable black woman with pride. Also, this novel shows the theme of disappointment. “Where he left her?” This quote from one of the porch dwellers explains how Janie had just come out of a relationship with Teacake, and