Zora Neale Hurston Character Analysis

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Zora Neale Hurston was an African American author who wrote short stories, novels, and folklores. Hurston’s works contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, creating the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. The novel was first criticized, but is now seen as a literary classic. It expressed the ideas of freedom and the longing for finding one's true identity. The main character, Janie, changes over the course of the book, not only physically but mentally. Janie truly finds herself through the men she meets and the experiences she has. Hurston develops a weak-minded character into a strong woman who thinks for herself and finds true happiness.
The novel begins with a Janie as teenager who bases her decisions off of Nanny, her grandmother. …show more content…
As Janie and Logan's marriage deteriorates, Janie takes a step into taking control of her life by leaving Logan when she meets Joe. The little progress Janie makes is soon diminished as Joe starts making decisions for her, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (61). Janie is once again left with no say in making choices for herself. Joe controls Janie throughout their marriage by saying what she can and cannot do, “Janie loved the conversation and sometimes and thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge” (Hurston 72). As their marriage progresses Janie builds up the courage to start standing up for herself as Hurston writes, “Why must Joe be so mad with her for making him look small when he did it to her all the time?” (101). Janie stops letting Joe control her and by the end of their marriage she is a strong character ready to take control of her life, “she would have the rest of her life to do as she pleased” (Hurston …show more content…
With Janie’s new found independence she soon finds true happiness when she meets Tea Cake, “After a long time of passive happiness, she got up and opened the window and let tea cake leap forth and mount to the sky on the wind. That was the beginning of things” (Hurston 129). It took Janie being controlled most of her life to finally become a strong independent women. The marriages before Janie only stayed in because that’s what she was expected to do, but now that she is stronger she can decide for herself what makes her happy. When Janie’s friend tries to talk her out of leaving with Tea Cake, Janie sticks up for herself, “tain’t so big uh chance as it seem lak, Pheoby” (Hurston 137). Instead of taking her friends advice like the old Janie would do, Janie does what she wants without basing her decision off anyone else. In Janie’s past marriages her husbands only thought she was capable of staying in the house, but tea cake acknowledges her as a strong women, “mah wife takes time fuh whatever she wants tuh dp. Real strong headed dat way” (Hurston 167).
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a perfect example of a novel containing a strong character development. Hurston does an excellent job of developing a character from the beginning of the book to the end. Through Janie’s numerous marriages she becomes a strong women in more ways than one. The idea of freedom conveyed in the
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