Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

Zora Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is a powerful novel designed to illustrate freedom, self-discovery, and the process of breaking conventional gender and racial roles. Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the story of Janie Crawford, a middle-aged black woman who returns to the town of Eatonville, Florida after three
relationships. Each of the relationships differs greatly, and each leaves a different lasting impression on Janie. The overriding theme of the novel is how Janie finds her “voice” in the world, and the three relationships all allow her to reach the stage where she is content with her place in the world. Although she only manages to find true love in one of the relationships, Janie learns something about herself and the world through each of them.
Janie’s grandmother, a former slave, raises Janie after her mother ran away. Because of her negative experiences with her own daughter and as a slave, Janie’s grandmoth...