Audrey Germany

Mrs. Vestal

English 1 Pre-AP

10 May 2017

Wealth & Stability in Their Eyes Were Watching God

All stable married couples have financial security. Financial security can cause social norms

within the relationship to be changed. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston,

Janies amount of wealth influences her ability and inability to make decisions, which impacts the

stability of her romantic relationships.

As Janie blossoms into womanhood, Nanny decides for her to marry Logan because of his wealth

and status, despite Janies ability to make decisions for herself. Nanny believes that a well-off man is best

for Janie, and since she is the legal guardian of Janie, she can decide for her to marry him. Nanny states,

Taint Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, its protection (Hurston 15). While Janie is unable

to make decisions, Nanny decides for her with a favorable outcome in mind. Janie will have financial

protection & security, but as revealed when she marries Logan, not the romantic stability she longed for

under the blooming pear tree. He provides a home & relative protection for Janie, but he is without

romantic substance. Now that Nanny is gone, Janie makes decisions for herself, but she does so under

Logans watchful eyes. Logan states, YoGrandma and me myself done spoil yuh now, and Ah reckon

Ah have tuh keep on wid it (Hurston 26). This displays that Logan will judge her for the decisions she

makes if it isnt in his favor. The decisions he wants her to make, like for her to decide to chop the wood

or haul with the mule, would benefit him through gained wealth. For Janie, this creates reason for her to

run off with Jody. When Janie first meets Jody, he says, You aint got no mo business wid uh plow than

uh hog is got wid uh holiday (Hurston 29). This shows that he does not want to gain resources from her

work because he does not believe she belongs doing labor. Logan does believe Janie belongs doing labor,
which is the main issue she has with him. Janie decides to leave with Joe, who only has three hundred

dollars in his pocket, because he offers her ladyship, something she wasnt receiving while working with

Logan.

When Joe is mayor and gets richer, Janie becomes unable to make decisions due to the limiting

expectations Joe has for her. When Eatonville is about to celebrate Joes new mayoral position, he tells

Janie that She must look on herself as the bell-cow (Hurston 41). Already, Joe wants Janie to dress &

think a certain way that would display her wealth and importance. While talking to Joe about their new

positions, Janie says that we aint natural wid one nother (Hurston 46). This shows that Janie does not

care about looking high class or good in front of others, so she wouldnt make the decision to dress high-

class or not interact with others herself. When Janie starts hearing the mule talk, Joe does not allow her to

talk with the others because they were trashy people (Hurston 54). Once again, the wealth Joe gains

from being mayor causes Janie to have less self-power. When the mule has a funeral & Janie asks to go,

Jody replies, But you aint goin off in all dat mess uh commonness (Hurston 60). This expresses that

the expectations Jody has for Janie doesnt allow for her to make decisions for herself. The wealth causes

the expectations, and therefore causes her lack of freedom. Janie reveals her true feelings when Jody dies

and she says, you wasnt satisfied wid me de way Ah was (Hurston 86). All along, she wanted a

romantic relationship, but she still wanted to have some decisions of her own. Unfortunately, Joes wealth

did not allow this for her.

While Janie is with Tea Cake, her wealth provides its own stability and allows her to make

decisions for herself. When she is single, she thinks, Besides she likes being lonesome for a change. This

freedom feeling was fine (Hurston 90). Janie now has complete self-control without a husband telling

her what to do. She also has wealth left over from Joe, which means she has money and self-

responsibility. This is the most powerful shes been, and she still makes the decision to marry Tea Cake.

Hezekiah, whos greatly influenced by Joe, says, He aint got no business maikn hisself familiar wid

nobody lak you (Hurston 103). This shows that the people around Janie dont believe that she would go
off with another man, much less a poor man like Tea Cake. Fortunately, Janie loves Tea Cake, and

describes Tea Cake as He could be a bee to a blossoma pear tree blossom in the spring (Hurston 106)

This shows that Tea Cake offers her the stability of a relationship shes always wanted, but he also allows

her to have her own decisions.

Finance plays a role in all of Janies relationships, and it plays a role in how she acts herself. Joe

associates money with power, and forces that power onto Janie, while Logans money acts as protection

for Janie. Tea Cake, perhaps the only man that truly loved her, did not act on the money she receives from

Joes death. This explains why she was so much closer to Tea Cake then Joe or Logan, because they did

not let things like finances or security control their relationship.