Their Eyes Were Watching God #2

I think the main conflict in Their Eyes Were Watching God is Janie's struggle to find her identity. That being said, I believe this would be both internal and external. From the beginning Janie was always being told what to do. Although she loved and looked up to Nanny, she knew that Nanny and her would always be different. Nanny married for money so that she would always be secure. Janie on the other hand, wanted the exact opposite. When she finally decided to leave Logan and run away with Jody, Janie had hope that things would be different. But even with Jody she was not respected in the way that she hoped to be. Unlike Janie, Jody was an egomaniac and never let Janie express her emotions. Also, Jody would insist that she wear a head wrap so that her long beautiful hair would be hidden from other men.(Hurston, 55) The conflict is also internal as well. Although Janie struggles with people, she also struggles with herself. Throughout the book Janie wants to tell people how she really feels but holds back her emotions.

There are things that Janie gained from the conflict. If Janie had never endured the events that took place, she would have never found her true voice. She struggles alot throughout the book when Jody talks badly to her. She wants to tell him exactly how she feels but she always holds back. By the end of the book however, she learns to use her voice and also control it. Also by the end of the book, she achieves her dream and is content with who she is.

The things that Janie did lose due to the conflict are things like what she had to go through in the first place to get where she is now. Even though she had to shoot Tea Cake, I imagine it was very hard for her to do.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.