The ending of Their Eyes Were Watching God is overall optimistic. Janie Crawford, at a young age, saw a glimpse of the excitement of freedom, but once she realised the fullness in life that she desired, she could not have it. Her grandmother, who only had her best interests in mind, was the first of many to repress Janie’s character along with her identity. Janie spent most of her life being someone other than her true self, and struggled to accept the restrained freedom. From husband to husband she discovers different types of freedom but is never truly happy until she found Tea Cup, her first real love.
In the beginning of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s freedoms were already being stipped away. "What she doin coming back here in dem …show more content…
This transition puts more shackles on Janie’s freedom. “The business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Joe was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store.” (Page 55). Although Janie did not want to be wearing this head-rag, she was forced to by her husband. "Whut make her keep her head tied up lak some ole ‘oman round de store? Nobody couldn’t git me tuh tie no rag on mah head if Ah had hair lak dat." (Page 49). When Janie is forced to wear the head-rag the townspeople begin to notice. Most people are used to seeing her beautiful hair, unbound and glorious, so they wonder at why Janie would not want to flaunt that, and they wonder why she keeps it all tied up. This head-rag is another one of Joe’s ways of keeping Janie under his control and all to himself. Later on, Joe Starks passes away allowing Janie to be free. “Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist” (page 89). After Joe’s death, Janie is allowed to be free again, even if it is just in freedom of her hair. She is now able to let her hair down as she pleases, which expressed liberation and defiance of Joe’s
In the beginning of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s freedoms were already being stipped away. "What she doin coming back here in dem …show more content…
This transition puts more shackles on Janie’s freedom. “The business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Joe was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store.” (Page 55). Although Janie did not want to be wearing this head-rag, she was forced to by her husband. "Whut make her keep her head tied up lak some ole ‘oman round de store? Nobody couldn’t git me tuh tie no rag on mah head if Ah had hair lak dat." (Page 49). When Janie is forced to wear the head-rag the townspeople begin to notice. Most people are used to seeing her beautiful hair, unbound and glorious, so they wonder at why Janie would not want to flaunt that, and they wonder why she keeps it all tied up. This head-rag is another one of Joe’s ways of keeping Janie under his control and all to himself. Later on, Joe Starks passes away allowing Janie to be free. “Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist” (page 89). After Joe’s death, Janie is allowed to be free again, even if it is just in freedom of her hair. She is now able to let her hair down as she pleases, which expressed liberation and defiance of Joe’s