Men Janie's Life Influence: Logan Jody Tea

¶ … men Janie's life influence: Logan Jody Tea Cake. 5-8 specific details quoted Their Eyes Were Watching God African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston has made a strong presence within the inter-war period and her most impressive book was Their eyes were watching God, the life story of Janie Crawford. Janie's life was dramatically marked by three men -- all of which were her husbands, at one point in her life. Janie's first husband is Logan Killicks.

Logan is an older man who became interested in Janie as a companion to running his farm. He was in fact looking for a wife to help around the house and help him keep the farm. The marriage had been arranged by Janie's grandmother, Nanny, who had been raped and had seen the same tragedy happen to her daughter.

Janie was the result of two generations of rapes and Nanny was trying to ensure that the same does not happen to her, that she does not live by the perception that the "nigger woman is de mule uh de world" (Hurston, p.20). But Janie was a young woman, dreaming of love and passion and not sharing the farming interest of her older husband. So she ran away with Jody Starks.

Their love affair was initially intense, but Janie soon discovered that Jody -- while he appeared different -- was in fact quite similar to Logan. Upon leaving her first husband, Janie ran away with Jody to Eatonville, so they could start a new life. But the couple found the town in a poor condition, with low morale among the citizens and little confidence and social success. He as such becomes involved in the development of the community and is elected mayor.

Jody opens a store in Eatonville and when his responsibilities increase, he asks Janie to run the store. She was however only able to administer the store but was not allowed to interact with the customers more then necessary to take part in the active social life. Janie as such gradually discovered that she was the trophy wife of Jody. Jody had as such lured her; he had not been forced on her by anybody but she herself had chosen him.

Still, within the community, her second husband limited Janie and encaged her. While she lived in a prosperous town, with a husband she married for love, Janie was still felling the pressures of a mule, carrying the desires of the man. "Jody ruined it all for her" (Hurston, p.84). While initially she fought for herself, Janie eventually accepted her status. "The years took all the fight out of Janie's face. For a while she thought it was gone from her soul.

No matter what Jody did, she said nothing" (Hurston, p.92). But this marriage did not last her lifetime neither, as she became a widow. Jody's death left Janie free from persecution and able to care for herself. The couple had prospered throughout their union and Janie was now able to live by herself and to decide by herself what she wanted to do and how she wanted to live.

As she was still young and attractive -- but also because she had the material means -- Janie soon found herself wooed by various men in the town. Some of these men were in important positions or had fortunes of their own. But Janie fell in love with Vergible.