Despite the fact Jannie is mixed and is idealized in the black community for her looks, throughout the novel she evovles into an indepedent women who is not afraid to defy gender norms. She defies gender norms through her ability to speak up for herself and her clothing choices. In Jannie’s life she has had a lot of people who attempt to contol her livelhood whether it be her granfmother or husbands, but these experiences throught the novel have increased her desire to explore worlds outside the one’s she is familiar with. The novel shows how Jannie’s desire for independence and process of self-discovery leads her to self-fufilment and happiness. AS she ages she understands that people’s behavior especially vicious behavior is not rooted in
