Their Eyes Were Watching God

Out of all the summer reading books we had to read for AP, Their Eyes Were Watching God is the only book I actually liked reading. To me it was an easy ready and an enjoyable read at that. It was a total 360 from having to reach for the dictionary to define a word for TOTC. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, does an excellent job in showing how a woman requires just as much respect and independence as a man. However, I do think that the author does a great job of showing how a woman's feelings can overcome her judgment at the same time. Yes i know I just said that I think Janie is a strong and independent woman, but in all seriousness she is not immune to how she feels about a man. When she wants something, she goes and gets it and that is what I liked about her. The only characteristic I did not like about Janie was that she seemed like she was playing all of the men that she was with. I know this is not true but I mean she moved on pretty quickly from her second husband, Jody, to her next lover, Tea Cake. If I could have rewritten this section of the story, I would have wanted Janie to not find love again and just find her place in the city without a man. But that is not what happened and I can't change how the story ended. Janie sort of reminds me of a friend I have. A friend of mine doesn't know how to function without a love interest. Even though she always says that she is okay with being single, you can just see the sadness it causes her when you look in her eyes. And that is what Janie was described as, in the beginning of the story. But as the novel went on, Janie started to remind me of another close friend that I have. My friend recently went through a bad breakup (i.e. Janie and Jody), where she had to pick up what was left of her dignity and overcome a lot. This is what I like about Janie, after everything she has been through (i.e. being accused of murder, multiple marriages) she was still able to go on with life and keep on going. This, in my opinion, is what a strong woman is.