Their Eyes Were Watching God Written by Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God Written by Hurston

Janie is the main character in the film adaptation of the novel written by Hurston. She is a free spirit struggling to find herself. After two failed marriages she finds love and equality in a character by the name of Tea Cake. Unlike her first two marriages, he treats her with respect and she finally begins to feel true freedom. It is easy to see Janie’s internal feelings throughout the film because as her external relationships either become challenging or hopeful, her outward appearance changes.
Her first marriage was to Logan Killicks. Their union was encouraged mostly by her grandmother because he had 60 acres of land. In that day and age marrying into money was almost the only way a woman could make a better life for herself. Her dismay was glaringly obvious from the moment he arrived to take her away as his wife. Janie’s carefree girlishness quickly faded and can be seen in her changing appearance. Her hair becomes tightly wound and up in a bun and her choice of clothing becomes much more modest than before. Life with Logan turned out to be more plowing the fields than drinking mint juleps on the beautiful porch she may have imagined. Needless to say, she ran off with Jody Starks as soon as he came walking down the road.
With Jody, it appears Janie has found true love and happiness. Janie is swept off her feet and life is perfect for her once they move to Eatonville. Jody showers her with gifts and becomes mayor of a town they built up together. Everything was going great until one night, upon his being sworn into office, he held her back from giving a speech. From here things start to turn sour and Janie becomes more of a possession to her husband than his wife. Jody begins to isolate Janie from the other members of the community and makes her hide her beautiful long hair tucked underneath a rag on her head. She serves him breakfast, lunch, and dinner like clockwork everyday like a servant for twenty years as her life slowly passed...

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