Analysis Of Janie In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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At the beginning of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is introduced to the reader as a care free and independent woman. Janie doesn't let herself be bothered by the porch sitter’s gossip about her wealth and her husband as she returns to her home town. Her attire isn't at all what is expected to be worn by women, such as neat dresses and styled hair, as she appears in overalls with her hair let loose. Over the course of the novel, Janie’s character development is shown through her flashbacks from her youth that eventually leads up to the present. In the chapters following, Janie was revealed to once having been a young and naïve little girl, a completely different image of what Janie had grown up to be. The most of Janie’s changes from an innocent child to a self aware woman was shown during her marriage with Joe Starks. …show more content…
Janie believed every word and promise he made about treating her better than her current spouse. While Starks was able to provide a house and income, one thing he lacked respect for Janie. He treated her almost like property as he believed that “she was there in the store for him to look at.” (Page 64). He demanded Janie to always have her hair tied up and hidden while maintaining the store. Starks felt jealous of other men gawking at Janie’s appearance so he wanted her to hide her beauty for only him to see. This shows how Joe is just another man who wants Janie for her looks. Janie is unaware of Joe’s reasoning for tying up her hair, as she has yet to fully realize that her looks were of more importance to Stark than to be respect her as a
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