Their Eyes Were Watching God is a book that takes a woman on an incredible journey. It could be about many things. To me, Their Eyes Were Watching God is about the journey that Janie takes to discover who she really is, and what she wants out of life.
” The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place. She tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there (chap. 8 pg. 87).”
This is a quote that I think really grasps the overall theme of the book. At this point, Janie has gone through two marriages. In her marriage with Logan Killicks, she felt no desire towards him, and on the other hand, when she was married to Joe Starks, she felt overly controlled. When Janie lets down her hair shortly after Joe has died, she finally feels free.
Janie’s journey to discover herself first starts with her grandma wanting to marry her off, so she won’t be taken advantage of. Janie’s grandmother wants her to have stability and safety, but Janie wants love most of all. Janie is married to Logan for a year but makes the decision to leave him for Joe Starks. When Janie first meets Joe, she falls in love with him. The decision alone to marry Joe is an example of how Janie is trying to figure out what she wants out of life. She had tried to listen to her Grandmothers advice but was finally fed up with the fact that she wasn’t in love with the man she was married to.
Another example is when she finally realizes that Joe isn’t the one that she wants because he is so controlling. When Joe dies, I think that is the moment where Janie really gets a sense of what she wants out of life.
Janie’s aim in life is to find true love and find freedom for herself. She learned that with Logan when she felt no love towards him. She then learned that Joe loved money and power more than his actual wife, which led to him being controlling. When Janie finally meets teacake, he reflects everything she always wanted. He lets Janie be herself, unlike Joe Starks, and she loves him, unlike Logan Killicks. They don’t have as lavish as a life that she had with Joe, but she is also happy with it being just them together.
“What she doin’ coming back here in dem overhalls? Can’t she find no dress to put on?—Where’s dat blue satin dress she left here in?—Where all dat money her husband took and died and left her?—What dat ole forty year ole ‘oman doin’ wid her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal? Where she left dat young lad of a boy she went off here wid? (chap. 1 pg. 2)”
This quote takes place in the last chapter, and I think it really wraps up the fact that Janie has been on a long journey to find herself. When Janie comes back to Eatonville without Teacake, there are many questions about her whereabouts, and what she has been up to. This instance shows how she has grown and changed from when they last saw her. She has her hair down and she is wearing overalls versus when she left with her fancy satin dress. When she was with Teacake she felt freer and loved than she ever felt with either Logan or Joe. Through her challenges and relationships, she finally discovered who she was and what she wanted out of life.