Why Is Janie Crawford From Their Eyes Were Watching God

If you’ve ever seen Pixar’s Up, read Night by Elie Wiesel, or heard of Allen Ginsberg, you’re already acquainted with some perfect examples of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This means you’ll also understand why Janie Crawford from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is such a relatable character-- she’s trying to claw her way through the Hierarchy, just like the aforementioned examples, and just like the rest of us. Maslow’s theory is presented in the form of a pyramid which illustrates the point that â€Å"people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some take precedence over others† (McLeod). Within the five sections of the pyramid are three groups of needs: basic needs, psychological needs, and self-fulfillment needs.†¦show more content†¦She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her† (Hurston 11). Janie wants to be able to  "struggle with life† and find her place in the world, which shows her entering the third level of the pyramid. In addition, we see her chasing after the second part of this level of the pyramid, which is love. â€Å"Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean. That was before the golden dust of pollen had beglamored his rags in her eyes† (12). By emerging into this next level of needs, the way she views the world is changing, and she suddenly finds herself aware of her attraction to Johnny. In addition, she kisses him, which illustrates further how she tries to move from the second level, safety, to the third level, love and belongingness. After Nanny catches Janie kissing Johnny, her life changes dramatically. We see Janie unhappy in her first marriage and realizing that in this marriage, her love and belonging needs will not be met. When she meets Joe, she doesn’t see the pear tree, but she sees another way to achieve love and belonging, which is â€Å"the horizon.† She believes marrying Joe represents truly love, and she will finally achieve the third step of the pyramid. As we know, this does not turn out to be true. Joe forces her to tie up her hair, he refuses to let herShow MoreRelatedTheir Eyes Were Watching God1467 Words   |  6 PagesTheir Eyes were Watching God, the main character, Janie, faces an inner battle in her three marriages, to speak or not to speak, which manifests itself differently with Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake. In her first marriage to Logan Killicks, Janie has her idea of what a marriage should look like shattered, as she failed to fall into the romantic idea of love that she he ld dear (Myth and Violence in Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God). In her second marriage, to Joe â€Å"Jody† Starks, Janie buriedRead MoreAnalysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God 1477 Words   |  6 PagesTheir Eyes were Watching God, the main character, Janie, faces an inner battle in her three marriages, to speak or not to speak, which manifests itself differently with Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake. In her first marriage to Logan Killicks, Janie has her idea of what a marriage should look like shattered, as she failed to fall into the romantic idea of love that she held dear (Myth and Violence in Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God). In her second marriage, to Joe â€Å"Jody† Starks, Janie buriedRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God1195 Words   |  5 Pagesmeant to be? In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, heroine Janie Crawford struggles to discover love and self-definition. Janie was raised by her grandmother (Nanny) and therefor e had to deal with Nanny’s strict morals and opinions about the world. In consideration of the way Janie was raised, she never had a chance to evaluate life and come to a conclusion of who or what she wants to be. Janie was always living the life Nanny wanted for her. As a result, Janie eventually breaks the â€Å"trance†Read MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1563 Words   |  7 PagesZora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005) are texts that reflect the struggles and adversities women face in their search for their own identity while seeking for a profound understanding of love in a prejudiced environment. Both novels reveal that the individuality of women are affected in patriarchal worlds, portrayed Florida and ancient China respectively, and prove that social class differences have a significant consequenceRead MoreWhose eyes were watching God?1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhose eyes were watching God? In the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey manipulates events that happened in the book by Zora Neale Hurston. Oprah morphs many relationships in the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God. She changes the role of gender, and also makes changes in Janie’s character strength. Oprah also changes the symbolism in the movie to where some important symbols in the book change to less important roles. Oprah changes many important events in the book Their Eyes WereRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God Thematic Research Paper1541 Words   |  7 PagesTheir Eyes Were Watching God Thematic Research Paper In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, emotions such as love and hatred are showcased through the multiple marriages of Janie Crawford and her three husbands, impacting her life with bitterness, torture and ultimately peace due to Janie’s naive ideals of lust and desire. Nanny arranges Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks, a responsible and financially stable man, after she catches Janie kissing the handsome Johnny Taylor. AlthoughRead More Comparing Dreams in Catcher in the Rye, Night, and Their Eyes Were Watching God907 Words   |  4 Pagesin Catcher in the Rye, Night, and Their Eyes Were Watching God   Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the novels Catcher in the Rye, Night, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main characters seem to have a dream. In their stories, Holden, Elie, and Janie tell the reader whether or not their dream was successful.    In Catcher in the Rye, Holdens dream is to be the catcher in the rye, meaning he wants to stop children or anything that may still be innocent from falling over the edge. This basicallyRead MoreOverview: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston1641 Words   |  7 PagesTheir Eyes Were Watching God was written by Zora Neale Hurston and published in 1937. Hurstons book guides us through character Janie Crawford’s hectic journey while taking place in the 1900s. The story starts out with Janie, a middle-aged African American woman, returning to her hometown in Eatonville, Florida. Her surprise visit gets the town talking. They wonder where she had gone, what she was doing, and why she was gone so long. Janie’s friend, Pheoby Watson, visits Janie to find out what happenedRead MoreHarlem Renaissance Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pagespre-eminent writers on the twentieth century in African American literature. Her famous novel â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† was especially influential to the movement on racial equality at the time. Her Novel both reflects and departs from the ideas on the Harlem Renaissance in several ways. In order to understand the significance of Author Zora Neale Hurston’s novel â€Å"Their Eyes Are Watching God† we must first understand the importance of the Harlem Renaissance. The renaissance on the 1920’s wasRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God1110 Words   |  5 Pageslife. Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, follows the life of protagonist Janie Crawford, a confident, middle-aged black woman who goes throughout life discovering her quest for spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston explains the hardships as ideas of maturity, sexism, and social class. Throughout the novel, Hurston describes Janie as a young woman with a compelling desire for seeking unconditional love. As Janie searches for her inner