What Are The Similarities Between As I Lay Dying And Their Eyes Were Watching God

While reading/watching As I Lay Dying, Of Mice and Men, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, we have taken a close look into the characters and their identities. What I have found from these stories is that there is a common element of a protagonist whose life is defined by their struggle and burden, and that this reveals that Modern Literature aims to encourage people to form their identities, and that their actions define them. Addie Bundren, the main character of As I Lay Dying, struggled with loneliness her entire life. She believed that life was simply preparing her to be dead forever, so it could be said that she was a pessimist. Because of her outlook on life, she often found herself alone. Even in her relationship with Anse, her husband, Addie found no love. She was burdened with a lack of emotional connection

As a black woman, she faced an extremely hard life. She knew it too, as seen in her conversation with Nanny: “So the white man throw down de land… He hand it to his womenfolks… de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see” (page 14). Black women were mistreated by both white men and black men. Jody struck Janie on multiple occasions, forced her to tie her hair up, and submissed her into complete inferiority (page 71). However, Janie would not let this overcome her spirit. She berated Jody before his death in an explosion of emotion, disproving his supposed power over her. When she decided she was ready for a new lover, she set up the rules and became dominant. The townspeople gossipped about Janie and how she was “too good” for Tea Cake, proving her dominance. As Janie won in her struggle versus abuse, oppression, and mistreatment, the world knew her for her power. Janie was the woman who left Logan (rather than being submissive), and did not let Tea Cake control her. She rose from the ashes of mistreatment, and was defined by her