Their Eyes Were Watching God Relationships

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Marriage can be described as a lifelong commitment to someone with immense friendship and love. However, as people evolve, so do their needs and desires, which lead to changes in the relationship. This is illustrated in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston when the main protagonist struggles to find what makes her thrive in a relationship as she grows up. This protagonist, Janie Crawford, has had three marriages from ages sixteen to thirty-seven, each presenting their own challenges Janie has to overcome to discover the person she is and who she wants to be. Throughout the novel, Janie's three marriages with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake teach her to not force love, to stand up for herself, and what love …show more content…
Joe was originally the marriage that Janie loved. At first, he was so sweet with her and wanted to start a life. Then, Janie soon realizes he wants to control and silence her. Joe began to publicly silence her and make her cover her appearance in hopes she would only be worth something to him. At the end of their relationship, he was getting sick and didn't want Janie around. Janie was awoken, realizing she was seeing him through a lens and not for who he actually was. That's when she finally put her foot down and said (quote Janie yelling). Janie went against everything Joe said about being silent and spoke her mind. This was an eye opening towards her development because she is now independent. Standing up for herself and not getting pushed around brought her closer to being her own person that did not require a man. The entire relationship revolved around Janie remaining silent, because that's why the marriage looked so perfect. Now that she has revealed this issue, it's obvious the marriage has ended. The marriage ended when Joe died, however it more so ended when Joe became abusive. Furthermore, Janie learned to have a voice in the marriage with Joe, which led to her overall development towards independence. Lastly, Janie learns how love and respect should feel during her final marriage with Teacake. When Nanny told her to go with a guy with more land and money, she learned that's not what she views love to be truly about. When she meets Tea Cake, he is merely the guy who's poor with a low social status. However, she didn't view him like that. Compared to her previously controlling and manipulative relationships, he seems like the dream. After living together for a while, she realizes the kind of person he actually is when he lets her show herself to the world. To illustrate, quote when Janie is being free or when Teacake says he doesn't own Janie. This quote shows how
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