Their Eyes Were Watching God
Journey to Happiness
Happiness cannot be explained in a simple definition; however Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, explains how to achieve happiness. “Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (192). The only way Janie was going to find happiness was to go out and find it on her own. One would think that finding happiness is a simple thing to do. However, Janie shows us otherwise. After looking in several wrong places for happiness, Janie finally finds it through Tea Cake. Tea Cake’s differing views on money and freedom make Janie very happy. His ability to care and love her would make any woman of this time ecstatic, but many would say that Janie was the most deserving. Tea Cake’s genuine, care free, and hopeful attitude made her happiness possible. Janie desired more than security in a marriage, as she explained to Nanny early on in the book, “But, Nanny Ah wants tuh want him sometimes. Ah don’t want him to do all de wantin’”(23). Logan Killicks, Janie’s first husband, had the money, land, and security that many women would have wanted. Janie wanted more than what Logan Killicks could offer. Janie wanted passion. She wanted what most young girls’ dream of, a loving, carefree relationship. Janie wished for the type of relationships that we can only read about. She desired to have a deeper relationship within her marriage, as she continued to describe, “Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think. Ah…" (24). She did not give up on her search, many years later Janie found this type of relationship with a man named Tea Cake. After all of the hardships of finding a decent man it was well worth Janie’s not only happiness, but sanity. Tea Cake was a nice breath of fresh air. He was ready to do whatever he could to ensure Janie’s happiness and most certainly her safety. He did not have much when it
Happiness cannot be explained in a simple definition; however Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, explains how to achieve happiness. “Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” (192). The only way Janie was going to find happiness was to go out and find it on her own. One would think that finding happiness is a simple thing to do. However, Janie shows us otherwise. After looking in several wrong places for happiness, Janie finally finds it through Tea Cake. Tea Cake’s differing views on money and freedom make Janie very happy. His ability to care and love her would make any woman of this time ecstatic, but many would say that Janie was the most deserving. Tea Cake’s genuine, care free, and hopeful attitude made her happiness possible. Janie desired more than security in a marriage, as she explained to Nanny early on in the book, “But, Nanny Ah wants tuh want him sometimes. Ah don’t want him to do all de wantin’”(23). Logan Killicks, Janie’s first husband, had the money, land, and security that many women would have wanted. Janie wanted more than what Logan Killicks could offer. Janie wanted passion. She wanted what most young girls’ dream of, a loving, carefree relationship. Janie wished for the type of relationships that we can only read about. She desired to have a deeper relationship within her marriage, as she continued to describe, “Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think. Ah…" (24). She did not give up on her search, many years later Janie found this type of relationship with a man named Tea Cake. After all of the hardships of finding a decent man it was well worth Janie’s not only happiness, but sanity. Tea Cake was a nice breath of fresh air. He was ready to do whatever he could to ensure Janie’s happiness and most certainly her safety. He did not have much when it
Cited: Brown, H. J. Alinka Malinka – Life through Positive Thinking. Alinka Malinka, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.alinkamalinka.com/2011/09/20/from-h-jackson-brown/>. Danticat, Edwidge. "Forward." Foreword. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Print. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. Print.