Their Eyes Were Watching God: Guided by Faith
...a blossom on the pear three that stood in Nanny’s backyard. By having three men in her life they all played an important role of opening anew chapter in Janie’s life. Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake showed Janie what it was that she wanted the most and that was to discover who she is, what she can do, and how fulfilling love can be. Even when Janie experienced agony and heartbreak in different situations such as when Janie shot and killed Tea Cake, Janie still strived onward and believed that her path in life was becoming brighter like the sun shinning through the clouds. Even though Janie lived a hard and agonizing life she always believed that the faith in herself, the loved ones around her, and her faith in the world would someday lead her to happiness. Janie’s faith played an important role in the novel because it helped expose her character and it showed the importance of what believing in yourself can achieve. It showed that if someone is daring enough to have faith in their self then they and everyone else could achieve their own autonomy. Besides, Janie, Joe Starks is another major character in the novel who shoed a form of faith. But unlike Janie who had faith in herself, loved ones around her, and the world, Joe seemed mostly possess faith and believe in himself more than anything else. From the moment Joe meets Janie until his death nearly twenty years later, he never doubts his ability to accomplish his goals. He can persuade people to believe in his dreams, accept his management, and give him loyalty. Although the porch sitters grumble behind his back about this high-pressure ways, they have to accept his skill in creating their town, Eatonville. Joe is a dreamer of very pragmatic dreams; if such a contradiction can be presented He brings money, charisma, and a young bride to a developing town. No one else has thought about adding acreage to the town, but Joe goes boldly off to the white landowner and comes back with the deed to 200 acres. It’s because of things like this that Joe does, that helps to extent his faith in himself even more. Joe is cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person, but his cruelty is not a result of any specific animosity toward Janie; rather, it is a reflection of the values that he holds and the way the he understands his relationship to the world. Joe depends on the exertion of power for his sense of himself; he is only happy and secure when he feels that he holds power over those around him. Joe’s Faith in Janie and himself is another type of faith that can be extracted from the novel. Because Janie is young and beautiful, Joe forces her to tie ...