Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God

By: Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford has returned to town after a trip of some sort. Janie is a full-figured woman with big breasts, firm buttocks, and long hair. The men look at her with desire. She is wearing overalls, which is quite unsual. It is dusk and people are sitting on their porches watching Janie walk back into town. These people, the porch sitters, sit on their porches and talk about everyone else's business. They cannot wait to hear all about Janie's life while she has been away. Janie's best friend, Pheoby Watson, also can't wait to talk to her also. The porch sitters want Pheoby to find out the information about Janie and then come back and tell them everything. Janie says that she will tell Pheoby all about her life and what happened to her, and specifically, why she has returned to the town. Pheoby tells Janie that she will only tell the porch sitters what Janie says she can tell them.

Janie begins telling Pheoby her story. She tells her all about how her grandma, Nanny, raised her in West Florida with white people, the Washburns. Mrs. Washburn dressed Janie in her children's old clothes (which were nicer than the clothes of Janie's colored schoolmates). Janie was called "alphabet" because people called her all different sorts of names. When she was a teenager, 16 years old, she used to sit under the pear tree and dream about being a tree in bloom. When she is 16, she kisses Johnny Taylor to see if he was the one. Nanny sees her kiss him, and says that Janie is now a woman. She wants her to marry now and suggests that Janie marry Logan Killicks because he has shown an interest in Janie by always coming around their house. Janie does not want to marry Logan because he is old and he ruins the her way of the blooming pear tree that she dreams about.

Nanny tells Janie about what happened to Janie's mother, Leafy and herself. Nanny lived in Georgia before moving to West Florida. The white woman in charge of her threatened to kill Nanny's baby, Leafy, because she was half white and half black and this was unacceptable. Nanny ran away in fear, and moved to West Florida. There, Leafy grew up with white people, and then was raped by a white school teacher who later disappears. Leafy eventually becomes a drunk and runs away from home, leaving Janie to be raised by Nanny. Nanny tells Janie that she is old now and her time is almost up. She wants to marry Janie off so that she knows Janie will be taken care of.

Janie and Logan Killicks get married on a Saturday in Nanny's parlor. Janie does not feel good about the marriage. After about two months of marriage, Janie does not feel the love that she thought would happen. He is a good husband to her, but she just doesn't feel the love that Nanny said she would. Instead, she says, Janie should be happy with the house on the big road that's already paid for and the sixty acres of land she has. Nanny begs God to take care of Janie, and a month later, Nanny dies.

Janie does not have love in her home with Logan, so she finds happiness with nature. She realizes that marriage does not necessarily equal love, and from this realization, she matures into a woman.

While Janie is cutting the potatoes, she hears whistling coming from down the street. She looks into the distance and sees a stylishly dressed man. She is attracted to this man. He comes over, asks for a drink, and introduces himself as Joe Starks. They talk for a while and he tells Janie that he came down to Florida from Georgia because he heard about a new town that is being built. This town is supposed to be built and run all by black people. Janie and Joe talk for a while. He tells her that she shouldn't be cutting potatoes. He makes her feel special and feel like she deserves more than what Logan is providing. He gets intimate and tells her to call him "Jody." He asks Janie to be his wife and to leave for the town with him in the morning. He wants her to meet him at the gate. The next morning, Janie is in the kitchen making breakfast. Logan tells her to come out to the barn and help him move manure. She says no! Logan threatens to kill her with his ax. This is the turning point for Janie and what makes her ready to leave him. She runs outside and goes to meet Jody. Jody and Janie are married before sundown and he buys her fancy clothes made of silk and wool. Janie feels like she has finally found the man to satisfy her.

Jody Starks who takes Janie away from her old life, gives her money, and fancy clothes. Janie and Jody arrive in the new town, Eatonville. Jody is surprised to find that there is no mayor. He starts telling two men he meets that they have to form a committee to get the town started. Jody meets with the owner of the land of Eatonville. He buys 200 more acres of land, and plans on building a store and a post office where Janie will work. Jody really works hard to get things around the town started. The store gets stocked with canned goods and Jody calls for a town meeting/celebration that evening. It is important to him that Janie look better than all of the women who attend. Some of the town members praise Janie and Jody for coming to the town and fixing it up so quickly and nicely. They ask Joe to make a speech. Jody starts by thanking everyone for the comments and he tells them that Eatonville needs a mayor if it is going to be like every other town. Everyone yells and elects Jody as their first official mayor. They ask Janie to make a speech, as the mayor's wife, but Joe cuts in and says that Janie doesn't know how to make a speech, for her place as a woman is in the home. Janie feels cheated that she doesn't even get the chance to try and make a speech. Jody buys a light for the town and they have a lamp-lighting ceremony and a barbecue. She feels like she is always waiting around for him and is unhappy and lonely. This is not the kind of life/marriage she always dreamed about. Jody tells everyone what to do and he acts like a white man with slaves.

Porch sitters in Eatonville sit and talk about Matt Bonner's mule. They make fun of him and say that he doesn't feed the mule. Janie hates working in the store and post office. They make fun of Matt Bonner's mule more and decide to play a joke on Matt. Janie gets very angry at this because she feels the mule is an overworked, helpless animal as she can relate to the mule. Jody buys Matt's mule for $5, so he can let the mule die in peace. Everyone in the town praises him for doing such a noble thing, including Janie. Eventually, the mule dies. Janie asks Jody if she can go with him to the burial, but Jody says no. He doesn't want Janie doing the kinds of things that normal people do. There is an argument