In the Novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, There Are Several Symbols

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, there are several symbols. One of the major symbols in the novel is the blossoming pear tree. The blossoming pear tree is a symbol of passion and sexuality. One afternoon Janie, around the age of sixteen, watches the bees buzzing around the blossoms, and she hears the song of the birds. Janie is overcome with ecstasy as she watches the tree. She has never felt this before, and she desires to find a man who will make her feel the way that she feels as she watches the tree. This desire to find this man continues throughout the novel. Another symbol is the horizon. The horizon represents a magical, far-away land where Janie longs to visit. The women sitting on the porch criticize Janie for her beauty. Janie wants freedom from this and all of her troubles; she dreams of a land where she can feel free from the world’s restraints. Janie’s long and flowing hair is also a symbol in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie’s hair represents power and defiance. In the novel, women of Janie’s age did not wear their hair down since it was considered improper. While married to Tea Cake, Janie was able to live like a girl again. Janie defied the norm and let her beautiful hair flow.

There are also several themes in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The major theme is love changes people. Since the age of sixteen, Janie has dreamed of meeting the man of her dreams. She wants to find a man who loves her and respects her for who she is. Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks, was an older man. This marriage was arranged by Janie’s grandmother and was not based on the couple’s love for one another. Janie thought she would learn to love Logan. Although they were married twenty years, Janie never really loved him. Logan was verbally abusive towards Janie, and after a threat on her life, Janie left her husband. Janie then married Jody Starks. Jody was mayor of an all black town, and viewed Janie as the perfect wife for a respectable mayor. He loved her for her beauty not because of who she was. Jody never respected Janie, and he beat her often. After a disease took Jody’s life, Janie left town and fell in love with Vergible Woods, also known as Tea Cake. Tea Cake loved Janie for who she was. Janie finally found the man she had been searching for. Janie and Tea Cake’s love for one another was tested during the hurricane. Because of the rabid dog bite, Janie was forced to shoot Tea Cake in order to survive. Janie grew through her relationships with the men in her life. Janie grew to be an amazing woman through the love she never had for Logan, the love she thought she had for Jody, and the true love she felt for Tea Cake.