Janie's Search for Identity in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neal Hurston

Janie overcomes many obstacles such as possessive husbands, tragedies, and lack of individuality in an attempt to achieve her own meaning of life. Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston depicts Janie, the main character, struggling to find peace and a sense of identity. As an adolescent, Janie develops visions of her future life, but the actions of her grandmother and husbands, Logan and Jody, help destroy these dreams. Finally, Janie discovers her free spirit, and then she finds herself content with the life she must live alone.
Early in her life, Janie has visions and dreams full of hope, but these dreams are destroyed by her grandmother?s wishes for her to marry for security and money, not love. After she marries Logan, Janie is forced to mature very quickly. Janie?s new found maturity is evident when ? she extend[s] herself outside of her dream and [goes] inside of the house. [This] was the end of her childhood?(Hurston12). She continues to l...