Their eyes were watching God :: Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of many dreams and ambitions that were setback due to the slavery age. Nanny, Janie's grandmother, being a slave in her youth is an example of this fact. Always wishing for what she could've had, she tries to stress to Janie the importance of freedom. Although Nanny dies after the first couple of chapters, it is seen throughout the book that other characters that counteract with Janie, have common thoughts and emphasize on the idea that Nanny ones had. When it comes to love Nanny believed that wealth and protection came before the actual meaning of love, the idea that a strong emotional bond exists between a man and a woman. As much as Nanny cared for Janie and what she stands for, she wanted Janie to marry a man who can give her a lifetime of luxury and protection. This idea only stands due to the fact that Nanny never had this in her life, being a slavery made her always fight for what she had and look out for her well-being as well as her c hildren?s. Consequently Nanny grew to teaching the idea to Janie that marriage should be about power, wealth, and protection even if the emotional part of the relationship doesn?t exist. Janie marries Logan Killicks for she believes he offers protection, she then marries Jody Starks for she believes he brings vibrant wealth and power, but not so much do these two bring emotional bond Janie utterly desires and as a result Janie spends the rest of her life trying to experience the emotional side of love. Logan Killicks was Janie?s first husband. He was chosen by Nanny because she thought he offered a black woman everything she would want, a lifetime protection from the outside world. Logan was an older man who knew what was good and what was bad just as Nanny did. He wanted Janie to love him and feel his importance because he offered her a home in which she can feel safe. Nanny being forced to have sex with her master at an early age as a result gave her Leafy. Furthermore Leafy was raped at an early age as well which brought about Janie. From these two facts one can conclude that Nanny feared the idea that Janie can be a repeating cycle of her and her child Leafy, thus giving Janie?