Pushed, Chosen, And Choosing :: essays research papers

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, was a novel about one woman’s self-revelation. It began when she was a very young girl, first being pushed, then chosen, and finally choosing. Born a victim of circumstance, Janie was subject to her position in life. She was raised to uphold the standards of the early African American generation. From the beginning, she was taught to be passive and subject to whatever life gave her. As she grew older she began to realize she must give in to her desires and not suppress them. Janie, the main character of the story, was set up for her journey of self-discovery by her grandmother. Nanny set a goal for Janie’s life by saying, â€Å"Ah wanted you to look upon yo’ self. Ah don’t want yo’ feathers always crumpled by folks throwin’ up things in yo’ face.† Janie’s grandmother pushed Janie into a marriage, which she considered a ‘safe’ place for Janie. Though hesitant, Janie agreed to marry Logan Killicks. He was a farmer who married Janie shortly after she completed school. Killicks was the first antagonist that Janie encountered in the story. He was there for one purpose, to destroy Janie’s new sense of self-awarenes. Logan demanded things of Janie that she did not wish to do and tried to push her into his mold of a perfect wife. Janie did not love Logan nor did he love her. She didn’t know what she wanted, but she knew that she didn’t want Logan Killicks. Joe Starks appeared in Janie’s yard one afternoon. He said the sweet things that Janie wanted to hear. Though Janie hardly knew the man, she was chosen by his words—being young and gullible. She took another step in her journey, leaving Logan the next day and traveling to Eatonville with Joe Starks. Aspiring to be the mayor of Eatonville, Joe Starks was a man concerned with little except power. He wanted it, and he was going to use Janie to get it. She wore nice dresses during this marriage because Joe wanted her to stand out from the rest of the town; he used her as an icon of his prosperity and power. He was cruel to Janie and stomped out all of her free will. He built his town of Eatonville, became the mayor crushing all in his path, and made many enemies along the way, including Janie. During the period that she was married to Joe Starks, Janie was not allowed to talk and act as herself, but she began to think for herself—never revealing to Joe how she felt until just before he died. Pushed, Chosen, And Choosing :: essays research papers Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, was a novel about one woman’s self-revelation. It began when she was a very young girl, first being pushed, then chosen, and finally choosing. Born a victim of circumstance, Janie was subject to her position in life. She was raised to uphold the standards of the early African American generation. From the beginning, she was taught to be passive and subject to whatever life gave her. As she grew older she began to realize she must give in to her desires and not suppress them. Janie, the main character of the story, was set up for her journey of self-discovery by her grandmother. Nanny set a goal for Janie’s life by saying, â€Å"Ah wanted you to look upon yo’ self. Ah don’t want yo’ feathers always crumpled by folks throwin’ up things in yo’ face.† Janie’s grandmother pushed Janie into a marriage, which she considered a ‘safe’ place for Janie. Though hesitant, Janie agreed to marry Logan Killicks. He was a farmer who married Janie shortly after she completed school. Killicks was the first antagonist that Janie encountered in the story. He was there for one purpose, to destroy Janie’s new sense of self-awarenes. Logan demanded things of Janie that she did not wish to do and tried to push her into his mold of a perfect wife. Janie did not love Logan nor did he love her. She didn’t know what she wanted, but she knew that she didn’t want Logan Killicks. Joe Starks appeared in Janie’s yard one afternoon. He said the sweet things that Janie wanted to hear. Though Janie hardly knew the man, she was chosen by his words—being young and gullible. She took another step in her journey, leaving Logan the next day and traveling to Eatonville with Joe Starks. Aspiring to be the mayor of Eatonville, Joe Starks was a man concerned with little except power. He wanted it, and he was going to use Janie to get it. She wore nice dresses during this marriage because Joe wanted her to stand out from the rest of the town; he used her as an icon of his prosperity and power. He was cruel to Janie and stomped out all of her free will. He built his town of Eatonville, became the mayor crushing all in his path, and made many enemies along the way, including Janie. During the period that she was married to Joe Starks, Janie was not allowed to talk and act as herself, but she began to think for herself—never revealing to Joe how she felt until just before he died.