their eyes were watching god

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, is a novel that portrays a woman’s search for independence and freedom. Janie, the main character, encounters many difficulties in trying to develop a voice of her own and illustrates the point that women need liberty and individuality no matter what race or social class they may be. Zora Neale Hurston, through her detailed depiction of a woman struggling for identity and freedom, effectively shows the tribulations faced by women in society, marriage and race in trying to develop self-expression.
Janie faces many challenges in trying to define herself as a woman such as dealing with a miserable marriage, the pressure to meet societal expectations and racial prejudice. Janie begins to tell the tale of her struggle for independence for the twenty years that she has been gone form her hometown to her best friend Phoebe. Janie begins by discussing her first marriage to a man named Logan Killicks. After several months of marriage,...