She can’t settle for such a life and seeks freedom from it, the result of which often ends in her separation from them.

Talks of equality are even a joke with her first two spouses – who can’t see her being anything more than just a mere housewife, one who has little to no respect, zero decision-making, and zero purposes except the obvious – being a housewife. With Janie entering her first two marriages – first with Logan Killicks and later with Jody Starks – she doesn’t get the freedom to be herself, nor does she enjoy independence or selfhood in the marriage. Unfortunately for the times in which she lives, these qualities are rare in men, and so it takes her three marriages to find something close to these.Ī desire for Freedom, Selfhood, and Equality Janie Crawford’s journey in ‘ Their Eyes Were Watching God’ begins and ends with her search for a marital relationship where she would share with her spouse true love, be accepted and appreciated by him, and not just see her as just another belonging or property. The most frontal themes in the book will be discussed.

The reader gets to see the majority of these themes play out in the life of Janie Crawford – who takes up the mantle as the main act in Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘ Their Eyes Were Watching God.’ Zora starts off her adventure as a teenager who is not afraid to be different but returns as a woman who is more experienced with life after having to endure the challenges and hardships across three marriages.

Zora neale hurston eyes watching god