Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie's Identity

The search for self-identity is a topic expressed in many novels from the Harlem Renaissance. Specifically, the character of Janie Crawford from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is a character who progresses through three marriages with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible Woods (also referred to as Tea Cake) throughout her life. Like all major events, Janie’s experiences in all three of her marriages allowed her to gather small components of her own identity. The final discovery of Janie’s own identity as well as the tragic death of her third husband nicknamed, Tea Cake, guided her towards her ultimate achievement in life, which was to reach her horizon and acquire self-acceptance. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by …show more content…
Being much more different from Janie’s other two marriages, her marriage with Tea Cake is the final step towards reaching her horizon; to become self-accepting. Janie’s marriage with Tea Cake brought her to places she had never been before and permitted her to do everything that had wanted, but was not allowed to do during her marriages with Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. This is seen in the article “The Confluence of Folklore, Feminism and Black Self-determination in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God,” when Claire Crabtree suggests, "Tea Cake expands Janie's horizons literally and figuratively by transplanting her to the Everglades to mingle with other itinerant workers as well as by simply encouraging her to determine her own work and to take part in the 'play'--the music, dancing and gaming--of the workers in the 'muck'" (Crabtree). During Janie’s other two marriages, Janie was never allowed to mingle with itinerant workers because she was of much higher status (according to Joe) although she always wanted to play an active role in society. Tea Cake did not care that Janie was of a higher status; he viewed Janie as an equal. Tea Cake truly loved Janie and this caused Tea Cake to indirectly motivate Janie towards becoming her own person since she knew that Tea Cake would always accept her no matter who she was. By traveling to the …show more content…
From Janie’s experience with Logan Killicks as well as Nanny’s advice, Janie was able to discover what she truly wanted from a marriage. Marriage did not create love so Janie learned she wanted to marry someone she loved. Although Joe Starks was a loving husband at first, he began insulting Janie for her diminishing looks although he was ironically growing old too. Due to the insults during their marriage, Janie found her voice and learned to speak up for herself. After Joe passed away, the marriage with Tea Cake is what allowed Janie to completely discover her identity. After having to obey Nanny, Logan Killicks and Joe Starks for the majority of her life, Janie discovered her identity in the muck by being who she wanted to be instead of what others told her to be. Tea Cake’s tragic death allowed Janie to find peace because she learned that she did not need anyone else in her life in order to accept herself. Therefore, it is because of all the small components from Janie’s marriages with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake that allowed Janie to discover her identity and become self-accepting. Although some life experiences are shorter lived than others, the positive memories that people cherish the most are the ones that bring peace and comfort and