In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie Crawford lives a life that encompasses three different marriages as she seeks to find her purpose, independence, and freedom. She wants to avoid living in sorrow, bitterness, and fear. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie would have never found her true voice without Joe Starks. Joe was a scurrilous and controlling man towards Janie in their relationship. Janie did not always feel like she could speak up for herself, but as their marriage grew, so did her opinions and her ability to express them. When Joe kept making fun of Janie about her age, she lost her temper and inveighed against him in front of his peers, which was humiliating for him. “Humph! Talkin’ ‘bout me lookin’ old!
