Criticism In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Recommended: Janie’s search for love and self

Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God: Exposing Strength to Defy Society Although happiness can be attained by everyone, not everyone is able to choose their own contentment. Criticism has been and still is a problem in today’s society. Some people are forced to do what others tell them to do, not allowing them to decide the paths of their life. This problem can be observed in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s quest for her identity emerges from her experiences, which make her discover that strength is the key to find self-fulfillment and true happiness despite a cruel society. Janie starts her life without knowledge of two precious gifts: truth and love. Janie is raised by her oppressive grandmother who deprecates
When Janie is finally on her own, she begins to acquire her own sense of self-esteem and ethics. As Janie meets Tea Cake, the man who will change her life, Janie is prepare to have a relationship in which she is as important to herself and also important to the man who is with her. With Tea Cake, everything was different. Janie’s attitude indicates freedom and self-discovery, her hair is what communicates her independence and power. Janie could wear colorful dresses and she could show off her hair, something that she did not do while she was married to Jody Stacks. Janie was finally free to love whoever she wanted to. As always, not everyone accepted Janie’s relationship, when Janie left town to marry Tea Cake, the town starts to gossip about how Tea Cake was younger than Janie, they also assure that Janie was being taken for her money. Despite all of the critics, Janie decides to continue with her romance, she no longer cares about the comments of people because she finds that her new husband loves and appreciates her immensely. “He kin take most any lil thing and make summertime out of it when times is dull. Then we lives off a dat happiness he made till some mo’ happiness come along” (Hurston 141). For the first time, Janie has found happiness in a marriage, Tea Cake was not a wealthy man, but he was the perfect man for Janie. He reveals his love by praising in Janie’s beauty; he loves her the
At the end, Janie’s allegiance to her own needs makes her unconcerned to the townsfolks’ judgements. Similarly, young people who are struggling to conflict decisions can identify with the idea that strength and sacrifice can lead to self-empowerment and true

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