In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford, through seeing a bee and a bloom interact, discovers her own standard for love based on passion, mutual enjoyment, and equality. She recognizes this synergy as a fulfilling marriage, and sets out to find this kind of union in future relationships. In this bildungsroman, coming of age presents itself as self-actualization. Through many experiences trying to find ideal love, Janie passes through various stages of development in order to ultimately find her soul.
The first two relationships Janie has with men make her evolve from a childhood stage of development to adolescence. Through her marriages with Logan Killicks and Jody Starks, she discovers what love is not. Her …show more content…
Teacake includes her in his favorite activities such as fishing, shooting, and gambling, making her feel evenly-matched with him. While spending time with him, “He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place” (128). Because Janie no longer requires a man to meet her basic survival needs, her relationship with Teacake can evolve into a deeper spiritual connection. When Teacake falls ill and crazy with rabies and attempts to shoot Janie, she ends up having to kill him using what he taught her, how to handle a gun. The shooting represents how Janie grows into a complete woman who takes care of herself. Though the death of Teacake devastates her, she ultimately finds peace, “The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace… She called in her soul to come and see” (193). Even though Janie is sad about Teacake’s death, she comes to accept it, which is a sign of maturity.
The pear tree sets a precedent for the events that happen in Janie’s life. As Janie goes from surviving to thriving, each man represents a stage of development she goes through to find self-actualization. She learns that love is about two people coming together to create a beautiful and unworldly experience, something her own family lacked because her mother and grandmother were both conceived by rape. By the end of the novel, Janie evolves beyond the need for a relationship with a man. She comes to realize that the true journey culminates in finding a content relationship with her
The first two relationships Janie has with men make her evolve from a childhood stage of development to adolescence. Through her marriages with Logan Killicks and Jody Starks, she discovers what love is not. Her …show more content…
Teacake includes her in his favorite activities such as fishing, shooting, and gambling, making her feel evenly-matched with him. While spending time with him, “He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place” (128). Because Janie no longer requires a man to meet her basic survival needs, her relationship with Teacake can evolve into a deeper spiritual connection. When Teacake falls ill and crazy with rabies and attempts to shoot Janie, she ends up having to kill him using what he taught her, how to handle a gun. The shooting represents how Janie grows into a complete woman who takes care of herself. Though the death of Teacake devastates her, she ultimately finds peace, “The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace… She called in her soul to come and see” (193). Even though Janie is sad about Teacake’s death, she comes to accept it, which is a sign of maturity.
The pear tree sets a precedent for the events that happen in Janie’s life. As Janie goes from surviving to thriving, each man represents a stage of development she goes through to find self-actualization. She learns that love is about two people coming together to create a beautiful and unworldly experience, something her own family lacked because her mother and grandmother were both conceived by rape. By the end of the novel, Janie evolves beyond the need for a relationship with a man. She comes to realize that the true journey culminates in finding a content relationship with her