As many of you know I am slowing reading through the Lemonade Syllabus (a list of books, music, art and movies based on black feminism and the black female experience in America) and I started with the books that I already owned. The first book on the list was Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The book follows the life and struggles of Janie Crawford; a young African American woman who is looking to live her life on her own terms. Janie wants to love who she wants and live as free as she pleases. The book follows her through two tough marriages and a tragic love affair with a younger man. Janie's story opens up with her still living at home with her elderly grandmother. Her grandmother notices that Janie has taken a liking to a "no good" man (though she only allows him to kiss her) and seeks to marry her off to the best man their little town has to offer. Janie, of course, protests but later relents and marries her first husband. This man is older and definitely not a man she is at all interested in. They have nothing in common and she does as little for him as possible. He foreshadows her leaving him with another man and she does. Jody Starks sweeps her off her feet with all his fancy talk and big ideas. Jody seems to be very different from her first husband; he is ambitious and has money. But Jody has very sexist ideas when it comes to Janie. He seems to want to control her - he is openly critical of her and she takes it for a while until the love is gone. She begins to resent him; and eventually she can not take his mess any more and she tells him off. Her comments are over heard by the people of their town who often visit their store in the evening.
It's clear to them and to Jody that Janie isn't as happy with Jody as she once was. It was the emasculating event that changes the way in which Jody deals with her. The moment seems to even change his very being; and once he becomes ill he stops dealing with Janie all together. He won't eat her cooking and begins sleeping in another room. He stops speaking to her and its not clear until he is on his death bed that she will have her closure. She goes to him and they have a very anti-climatic discussion about their relationship. For a while people in the community believe that she poisoned him. She continues to move about her life until a young man called Tea Cake comes calling. Over time they strike up a friendship and then it turns into something more. With nothing to lose Janie leaves town with him; again she does not realize that Tea Cake may not be the man for her. He seems to have a gambling issue and at one point steals from her and is gone for hours. He also has a scene were he beats her. But still she stays because he is the only man that seems to really let Janie be Janie. With Tea Cake she is truly free. Due to an unexpected illness and with a tragic accident Tea Cake is killed and Janie is left to face the consequences of his death. It's only after his death that she wanders back home - alone; but more assured of who she is as a woman.
I saw a lot of myself in Janie; and she is a character that is very easy to love. She seems like a true free spirit. She wants to experience life on her own terms and is tired of being boxed in by the people around her. Her Grandmother wants to control her future. She first husband wants to force her to love him; and attempts to buy her love by pampering her and treating her like a queen. Her second Husband Jodie mansplains to her repeatedly and seeks to keep her in her place. But only Tea Cake is okay with allowing Janie to be her free and unbound self. Even though the relationship is complex Janie is still able to find herself. So when she comes home with road dust on her feet she holds her head high and does not make excuses for her decisions. She's finally learned how to live life for herself and herself alone.
What I loved about Hurtson's novel was the glowing prose. This book is so beautifully written. I found myself unable to walk away from Janie's story. The tale is highly imaginative and has a deeply personal touch. I have owned this book for years and for the life of me I do not understand why it took me so long to read this.
I gave Their Eyes Were Watching God 5/5 Stars on Goodreads.
Quotes I Loved:
Bonus: The Fan Made Trailer for the T.V. movie adaptation of the book.
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