There Eyes Were Watching God

431 Words2 Pages
First Outline Thesis: Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God attains independence and self-fulfillment through her various marriages and experiences. I. Crawford’s marriages ultimately shape her life and allowed her to gain the independence she had always been searching for. A. Marriage as a way out. 1. Crawford’s grandma “can’t die easy” (20) 2. Elders wisdom: “but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so.” (21) B. Wives as tools. 1. Logan: “Mah fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood nohow.” (26) 2. Jody: “why don’t you go see whut Mrs. Bogle want?” (71) C. Abuse of power. 1. Logan: “Ah’ll take holt that ax and come in dere and kill yuh.” (31) 2. Jody: “So he struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store.” (80) II. Each husband allowed Crawford to gain more self-awareness and develop her own personality by symbolizing an obstacle that needed to be overcome. Logan Killicks displays Crawford’s awakening. 1. Enlightenment: “She wasn’t even angry.” (32) Realization: “A feeling of sudden newness and change came over her.” (32) Jody Starks embodies her imprisonment. 1. Suppressed personality: “Janie loved the conversation and sometimes she thought up good stories on mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge.” 2. Loss of spirit: “So gradually, she pressed her teeth together and learned to hush.” (71) C. Tea Cake represents her freedom. 1. Awareness: “He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring.” (106) 2. Change: “In her heart she wanted to get his breakfast for him. But she stayed in bed long after he was gone.” (107) III. The act of shooting Tea Cake represents Crawford’s climatic showing of power over the only spouse who actually treated her with respect; through his death she gained her life. Losing love in order to gain independence. 1. Irony: “It
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