Literature Analysis #2

Their Eyes WereWatching God

Janie Crawford is a young girl returning back home to Eatonville. The people of the town gossip about her and her troubles. Phoeby Watson, Janie's best friend goes and sees how Janie is doing and why she's back in town. Janie begins to tell Phoeby her life story starting with her childhood living with Nanny, Janie's grandmother. Phoeby is the audience in this case and Janie is the storyteller. When Janie was a little girl she and her nanny lived in the backyard of white people who treated them as family. One night, Nanny caught Janie kissing Logan Killicks. Janie then marries Logan, but ends up leaving him after her makes her do men work. Janie moves to Florida with her new husband, Joe Starks. Starks becomes mayor of Eatonville and Janie feels like he's using her for power of the town. Janie leaves Joe and marries Tea Cake, her first real love. At the end of the story, Tea Cake and Janie have problems and Janie ends up shooting him. Tea Cake's death is the reason for her return.

The main theme of this book would be love and relationship versus individual. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, wrote about this topic because the novel is a female book and explains how complicated loving someone can be. Hurston's use of language in the book shows Janie's quest to find her voice.

Janie is the protagonist in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie is a dynamic character. She goes from one husband to another trying to find what she really wants. It changes her because with each man, she learns something different about herself. Another major character would be Tea Cake because he is Janie's first real love. He attracts Janie and takes good care of her until they get really comfortable with each other and have arguments. He changes how he is with her, and Janie still loves him.

One significant symbol from the book would be the big hurricane in the Everglades. The hurricane kills some of Janie and Tea Cake's friends. Some are saved by staying inside of Tea Cake's home. The hurricane represents how chaotic and cruel the world can be. It shows how some people have bad and mean  personalities when you really get to know them. Their friend, Motor Boat, joins Janie and Tea Cake in their house and the narrator notes everybody is united in the same struggle.

The book's title came to my attention because of God's name. I'm into reading books that have some religion in it, it interests me. I googled the book and read about what it was about and thought it would be a good book for me to read, and it was. Once I started reading the book, I was already into it because of the authors quotes in the first chapters.

Janie is a young girl, trying to find what she wants and what is right for her. I can relate to that because I'm at the point in life where I choose what I want to do after high school. I have to find what is right for me also since I want to be dong something I love when I'm older. I can also relate Janie to my Aunt who has had three husbands, trying to find the right one.

From reading this book, I've learned how men and women want different things from each other. I'll remember the way the author describes men and women when it comes to love. I chose this because sooner or later, everyone finds their own love and this will help and give others some type of advice when that time comes.