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

Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God entices the general reader as well as the analytical reader. The story relates to the young as well as the old in various ways. The theme which is most prevalent in the first third of the novel is innocence, although there are multiple other rising themes which seem yet to be influential to the first third of the story. Innocence can be defined in many ways as a lack of fear towards action, or lack of experience. As Janie is reminiscing on her early childhood, and explaining it to her best friend Phoeby, Janie takes us to the time when she was around the age of four. Janie claims this to be the age where she first began realizing who she was and what was going on around her, in other words,

‘her awakening to the world’. We are exposed to Janie’s innocence very early in her life, where she reflects on how she didn’t know she was black until she saw a photo with the white people, who Nanny worked for “Den dey all laughed real hard. But before Ah seen de picture Ah thought Ah wuz just like de rest” (Hurston 9). This displays the innocence of children in their ignorance regarding the differences society has placed on them. Janie did not realize that she was different than the white kids, who she was around for most of her childhood.
Janie’s innocence is challenged during her teen years, as we come to the conclusion that she matured faster than most teens her age.

Sexual desires began to arouse as Janie spent more time by herself, contemplating the mysteries of life by the pear tree. One day, Nanny caught her kissing Johnny Taylor, which Janie described this incident as “That was the end of her childhood” (Hurston 12). Janie’s curiosity towards having an affair is another piece of evidence which supports the theme of innocence in the novel. Nanny viewed the incident as a sign that Janie needed to get married and forced her to do so. Janie did not feel as though she was ready to get married at first, but after listening to Nanny, she believed in what Nanny was saying to her “Yes, she would love Logan Killicks after they were married. She could see no way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so” (Hurston 21). This quote where Janie reflects on the decision to marry shows her naïveté and innocence towards marriage and its responsibilities. She allows the elders to influence her, which leads her to an unsuccessful first marriage and the false hope that the love between her and her husband will develop in

time.
Shortly after Nanny’s death during Janie’s first marriage, Janie begins to depend on herself and takes action without the influence of an elder.

She abandons Logan Killicks to marry the citified, innovative man by the name of Jody Starks. Janie’s naïve personality is evident during Jody’s pledge to attract Janie away from Logan and towards him, he tells her “Janie, if you think Ah aims to tole you off and make a dog outa you, youse wrong. Ah wants to make a wife outa you” (Hurston 29). This quote by Jody wins Janie over entirely. Janie’s innocence plays a pivotal role in this encounter because Janie falls for Jody after a quick ten minute conversation filled with promises from the man. Janie’s lack of experience when interacting with people increases her innocence, as she does not know when to believe in what is being said and when not to. She is immediately attracted to the soft-spoken, auspicious demeanor which Jody

possesses.
These are only a few of the many cases where Janie has been exposed by others due to her innocence. Towards the end of the first third of the novel, Janie has yet to find her true love and happiness in her relationships, although she is beginning to realize that she must interact more with people and with her husband to compensate for her innocence.