Summary and Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Worth Books

Author:Worth Books
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Worth Books
Published: 2017-04-20T20:02:50+00:00

Character Analysis

Janie Crawford (Killicks, Starks, Woods): The story’s dynamic protagonist, she’s a natural survivor, an independent dreamer, who revels in the beauty of the natural world and endures three marriages, the last one of which gave her the most happiness. Sensual and emotional, she never gives up on her dream to find genuine love, and she possesses the strength of character and tenacity to overcome difficult circumstances without loosing herself in the process. Defying gender stereotypes placed on females at the time, her determination to find her voice and independence helps her cope with disappointment and tragedy, finding grace and spiritual enlightenment in the end. She ultimately takes control over her own destiny, and in so doing, finds inner peace.

Logan Killicks: Janie’s first husband, he is older than Janie and had been previously married. Nanny picked him out for his stability in the community: He owns 60 acres of land. He is far from Janie’s romantic idea of a husband, and there is no physical intimacy between them. Logan looks to Janie as another set of hands to do chores around the house, and she is repulsed by him, physically, and disenchanted and disappointed in him, emotionally.

Nanny: Left to raise Janie after her mother abandons her, Nanny is a well-meaning woman who mistakenly projects her own fears and unfulfilled dreams onto her granddaughter. As an ex-slave working for a white family, her view of the world and the place women have in it has been influenced by a life of servitude, American culture, and the no-good men she’s seen come and go. She has high hopes for her granddaughter, Janie: education, marriage to a respectable man, safety, and the freedom to “pick from a higher bush and a sweeter berry.” In reality, she’s putting up roadblocks to Janie’s happiness and fulfillment.

Joe (Jody) Starks: The stereotypical self-centered macho man and Janie’s second husband, Jody values big things: owning big businesses, having a big house, and being a “big voice.” He becomes increasingly jealous and controlling as Janie grows more emotionally and spiritually evolved—perhaps in reaction to his own deep-seeded insecurities. His fatal flaw is his inability to take responsibility for his mistakes—a characteristic that, in the end, prevents him from experiencing true happiness in an equal partnership with Janie. He dies without really knowing who his wife of twenty years really is.

Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods: Self-confident and unconcerned with conventional wisdom, Janie’s third husband, Tea Cake, loves her for who she is, regardless of their difference in age (he is around 12 years younger than Janie). His charm and positive energy attract the affections of those around him—he plays guitar, teaches Janie new things (how to play checkers, how to hunt), and makes no apologies for his life choices. A loving partner to Janie, he does strike her, as other men have, but he remains loyal and devoted to Janie until the bitter end. He represents the sweetness that Janie has always sought.

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