Janie Crawford, in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching G-d, embarks on a journey towards self-actualization. Hurston, known for her aesthetic language and symbolism, utilizes these traits throughout the book. ... Janie experiences many ups and downs throughout the book, but finally she sees the horizon and emerges as the free spirited woman that she has always yearned to be. ... She agrees to partake in an arranged marriage out of fear that if she didn't, she would follow in the footsteps of Nanny and Janie's mother, both of whom were raped. ... At the beginning ...

• Word Count: 1319
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Both Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, are multi-faceted stories with central themes that repeat themselves throughout. The strongest and most repeated theme is that of control, especially when shown through the eyes of each book's main character. ... In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, the main character, is shown in her middle age returning to her hometown. ... Merricat feels as if he were trying to take Constance away from her. ... The act of her killing her family is not exactly even specific enou...

• Word Count: 1902
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Janie's Quest for Identity Throughout much of history, many women have spent a significant amount of their lives in search of their own voice and ways to represent themselves and their lifestyles. ... Unfortunately, a lot of individuals were unable to fully express themselves due to strong social implications regarding a woman's role in society and other cultural expectations. In Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston disregarded the typical gender conventions of her time when she created Janie Mae Crawford, the main character in her book. ... In N...

• Word Count: 1946
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School