Janie's Three Marriages in Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

Marriage sure is a complex thing, ain't it? It's been talked about in books forever. In Zora Neale Hurston's story "Their Eyes Were Watching God," we follow Janie Crawford as she goes through three different marriages. These relationships really help shape how she sees love, herself, and being free. Each of her marriages throws its own set of challenges at her while also giving her room to grow. Let's take a closer look at Janie's first marriage with Logan Killicks. By checking out why she chose him, we can get a better picture of who she is and the society stuff that pushed her choices.

The First Marriage: Why Logan Killicks?

Janie's first go at marriage with Logan Killicks is key to figuring out her path toward knowing herself better. At first, when she marries Logan, it's mostly 'cause of what society expects and wanting something steady. Logan's got respect in their town and offers Janie a future that's safe, you know? But as things unfold, we see that Janie's reasons for marrying him aren't just about love.

Through the book, her time with Logan feels like it's lacking something—it's not fulfilling at all and kinda stifling. She feels stuck without any real love in the marriage and dreams of more. This feeling really hits home when she meets Joe Starks, hubby number two. Even with these problems, her choice to marry Logan isn't without thought.

A question that pops up is "why did Janie marry Logan Killicks?" Diving into this helps us understand more about what drives Janie and what society wants from her back then. Her decision to tie the knot with Logan mirrors how women had very few choices in the early 1900s.

Societal Pressures and Limited Choices

Back in those days, many women saw marriage as their ticket to financial security and social standing. Being young and impressionable, Janie gives into these pressures around her. She figures marrying Logan will give her a stable life people respect—even if it means she's giving up on personal happiness.

A Quest for Independence

On top of that, marrying Logan might show Janie's yearning for freedom too. Despite not having love or joy with him, she makes a clear choice to marry him anyway. This could be seen as pushing back against her grandmother Nanny who set up the match. By going along with this marriage, Janie's trying to claim some independence and make her own way.

Navigating Naivety

We can't forget that part of why she chooses Logan comes from being naive and not having much life experience yet. At the start of the novel, she's shown as innocent and full of dreamy ideals. She thinks getting married will bring happiness she's after but quickly finds out it's way more complicated than expected.

Conclusion: A Mix of Influences

In wrapping up here, you can see Janie's decision to marry Logan is kind of a mix—a mix of societal push, wanting independence, plus just being naive. When we break down what motivates Janie, we start understanding her character deeper and see all those societal forces shaping her moves. The three marriages paint a picture helping explore love complexities along with identity stuff & society's demands too.

Through everything, ultimately Janie learns prioritizing her happiness matters most—and defining life's direction for herself even if it means bucking traditional ideas about marriage & womanhood altogether!

References

• Hurston, Z.N., (1937). Their Eyes Were Watching God. J.B. Lippincott & Co.
• Baker Jr., H.A., (1984). Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance. University of Chicago Press.
• Lester, N.A., (1999). Understanding Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Student Casebook to Issues Sources & Historical Documents Greenwood Press.