Sexuality and Romance in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Characters of the novel are attracted to Janie because of her sexuality, but ultimately come to hate it—trying to extinguish it, control it, and control her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, trees, flowers, and nature often symbolize sexuality and romance. They act as figures for sexuality and romance in general, but they also act as figures for Janie's sexuality, Janie's sexual awakening, and the sense of romance that permeates Janie's perspective on life as she moves through childhood, adolescence, and into adult maturation. The paper argues that the reader is supposed to align and understand sexuality & romance through the use of natural symbols.