Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary

2618 Words11 Pages
William Butler Shorey American Lit 15 July 2014 Their Eyes Were Watching God Journal 1 The novel begins with Janie walking into the town of Eatonville; a town that she and her first husband lived in. Janie left the town shortly after her first husband died and did not return until her third one did. In the beginning of the novel Janie is good friends with Pheoby, and after her first husband died she deserts the town in order to follow “true love”. When that occurs the townspeople do not like her because they believe that she should still mourn her husbands death. Janie, in my opinion, tells the story to her best friend Pheoby because that is her only friend. When she left the town many people did not like her because she was chasing a younger…show more content…
In her first marriage, Janie is married to a man by the name of Logan Killicks whom is a middle class farmer. Janie is not attracted to this man at all and is only married to him because of her grandmother. Janie learns that she deserves a man who loves her and not just a man her grandmother wants her to be with. She leaves to marry go with a man by the name of Jody, an ambitious man whom has great dreams of settling in an all black community. She is partially attracted him for his ambition and his desire for power, but is also attracted to him for the social status. Janie’s grandmother sewed a desire to climb the social ladder and not be degraded as “the mule of the world”. Janie and Jody marriage is not one of love, Jody treats her as an object and does not treat her how she desires to be treated. As Jody ages he becomes ill and shortly after dies. Janie learns that her marriage was not about love at all. After Jody’s death Janie meets the young and witty Tea Cake. She is immediately attracted to him for his youth and ability to understand her. Janie sneaks him in and out of town to avoid the judgment of the towns’ people and soon goes of with Tea Cake to the Everglades. Tea Cake understands Janie and loves her for who she is. He is bit by a rabid dog late in the book and soon after is driven insane by the bite. Eventually, driven crazy by the dog bite leads Tea Cake to lash out against Janie. He…show more content…
The novel follows the two boys and their fathers throughout a coming of age journey. David Malter, Reuven’s father, is the ideal parent who guides his child on his journey out of the house and into college. Reuven and his father are very comfortable around each other and discuss anything together, especially the troubles facing Reuven. On the other hand, Reb Saunders, Danny’s father, chose to raise his son in silence in order for his to develop the true spirit of a Tzaddik. Although Reb Saunders believes it is the correct way to raise his child, Danny strongly disagrees. He wants to be able to go talk to his father about his concerns and struggles like his friend Reuven does. He wants to be able to carry a normal conversation with his father, but at the same time understands why his father chose to raise him that way. The way he was raised affects his ability to open up and talk to people. Throughout the novel his character grows when he is around Reuven and his ability to talk changes because of his friend. The relationships between the two protagonists and their fathers are completely opposite, even though the boys are
Open Document