Identity in Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

Have you ever wondered who you were supposed to be? Like a rose bush that starts out weak and vulnerable, so too do we begin our journeys incomplete and unprepared for the world. With care and attention a rosebush will grow and develop into a larger thornier bush, flushed with blossoms. We too will grow into stronger, tougher, more mature people who have a light, or blossom, that shines through in our every action. In Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie Crawford is a young, African American girl who is questioning her identity. She does not know who she is or who she wants to become. She yearns to find someone who cares for her and completes her, but she does not stand up for herself to find that person. The differences between Janie as a teenager and Janie as she grew up show she became more independent.

When she was a teenager, Janie was reliant and unsure of whom she was. She always did what her grandmother told her and never asked questions. Janies grandmother only wanted what was best for her and wanted to make sure she was secure for the rest of her life. Thus, she forced Janie to marry Logan Killicks. Taint Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, its protection (15). Janie did not find Logan attractive and did not want to marry him at all. However, she could not tell her Grandmother that she did not want to marry him because she was not sure what she wanted in life. All she knew was that she wanted to find love and find someone she could connect with emotionally and spiritually, but she knew that her Grandmother was worried about her and wanted to her to have a better life than she did. Nonetheless she married Logan because she knew it was what her Grandmothers wish.

As an adult Janie was independent and able to think for herself. In search for someone to connect with, she leaves Logan for Joseph Starks, but when he dies she is left on her own for the first time. Through this she realizes that she can make it on her own and is capable of making her own decisions. She meets a man named Teac Cake whom she sees herself falling in love with. She likes the way he respects her and does not treat her like property. She does not care that he is nearly twenty years younger than she is, or that other people do not agree with their relationship. Another thing, Joe Starks hadnt been dead but nine months and here she goes sashaying off to a picnic in pink linen(110). Janie does not care what other people think of her, she just wants to achieve her dreams and be happy with her independence. She is happy with Tea Cake and trusts that he is not interested in her only for her money. Tea Cake shows Janie that she does not need a man to control her and tell her what to do.

As a teenager Janie was dependent on others, however, as she grew up she became a strong and proud woman. Even after Tea Cakes death Janie feels a sense of fulfillment with her life, and feels that Tea Cake is still with her. Janie knows that even though she is not with a man she is strong and is able to support herself with what she has learned throughout her life. This new found knowledge serves as her foundation. With a strong foundation she will be strong with or without a man.