Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a novel about a Southern black woman and her Janie, the main character, isforced at a young age by her grandmother, into anarranged marriage with a man named Logan. Janie is toldto learn to love Logan, but the love never comes forLogan in Janies heart so she leaves him. She meets aman named Joe. Soon after they are married. Joe wassweet at first, then his true feelings about women comeout and Janie looses her love she thought she had forhim. He soon dies after their separation. Janie thenfalls in love with a man named Tea Cake. He is the manwith whom she has a wonderful, loving, happy marriage. Janie, through youth and lack of empowerment, is misleadto believe other peoples definitions of love andmarriage until she is strong enough to find arelationship on her own which satisfies her personaldefinitions of love and marriage.Nanny, Janies grandmother, leads her to believethat love comes after marriage though love is secondaryto the security marriage provides. Nanny feels marriagewas simply for security and to start a family. TaintLogan Killicks Ah wants you to have baby, itsprotection.(pg. 14). Nanny says this to Janie beforeher arranged marriage to Logan. Nanny wants Janie to befinancially set with her life before she dies and leavesJanie to fend for herself. Nanny wants her to start afamily. Nanny makes Janie think that love is justgoing to come along after the marriage. Right afterJanies marriage to Logan, Janie says she is going togo into her kitchen and wait for the love to begin. Nanny lets Janie believe that you need a man to takecare of you and provide for you. According to Nanny,you have to marry a man who has money because too muchtrouble comes with marrying a poor man. Joe marries Janie strictly for social appearance. Joe wants to have empowerment and he thinks a woman,like Janie, would help his image. He wants to run atown and the only way he feels he...
