expressions; how she feels both emotionally and physically

in the different stages of Janie's life in her novel Their

Eyes Were Watching God. Zora Neale Hurston was born in

Eatonville Florida, the same place where the novel takes

place. Hurston was a feminist writer who wrote during the

Harlem renaissance period. She has traveled to many places

and her fictional and factual accounts of black heritage are

unparalleled. She uses the main character, Janie, to

illustrate the oppressions of women and express her views on

In the beginning stages of the novel the porch scene is

used frequently. Women of the town congregate on the porch

in the evenings to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere and gossip.

The porch is used to express comfort and well being. As a

young child Janie is guided and comforted by her grandmother

who raised her. You can see this in Janie's grandmothers'

want for the best for Janie from the quote on page 13;

"Dat's what makes me skeered. You don't

don't even know where harm is at. Ah'm ole now. Ah can't

in Janie's life she is most happy and comfortable. Janie

Janie seeks the love and caring of another man. A man

Zora Neale Hurston may even be using Janie's life as a

Janie feels empty and very unsatisfied with Logan. The

women. Janie is far from happy with Joe. She is told to

symbol for the struggle of women striving to be equal to

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Approximate Word count = 714
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)