Written by Zora Neale Hurston, the novel and later turned movie Their Eyes Were Watching God is regarded as an important piece of history. While fictitious in nature, the novel is viewed as one of the first major publications ever written by a black woman.
It follows the life of attractive and confident African-American woman Janie Crawford and her return the Eatonville, Florida. Having been away from the town for so long, the locals can’t help but to gossip about her extended absence and spread rumors about the whereabouts of her husband, Tea Cake. The townspeople mistake the young woman’s confidence for standoffishness, but her long-time friend, Pheoby Watson is quick to come to her defense. Wanting to gather the truth, Pheoby visits Janie and the two begin to discuss the events leading up to her return to Eatonville, and the tone for the storyline is set.
Janie explains that her mother had abandoned her, leaving her to be reared by her maternal grandmother, Nanny. Nanny is devoted to her granddaughter and wishes to give her the best life possible. However, having lived most of her life as a slave, and the challenges of raising Janie’s mother have left her with a sordid view of the world and the people in it. Because of the animosity she harbors for society, her chief goal is to marry off Janie to a well-to-do suitor who can offer her both security and superior social status. Nanny introduces Janie to Logan Killicks, a farmer who is many years her senior, and is insistent that the two be wed.
Reluctantly, Janie moves in with Logan, but she is exceedingly miserable. Logan is hard-headed and incapable of romancing a young woman. He treats Janie more like one of his farm animals than he does a woman or lover. Soon, Janie crosses paths with the dapper and ambitious Joe Starks and the two begin to flirt in secret. It is all innocent at first, but several weeks later she runs away with him and the two elope.
Janie and her new husband, Jody as she refers to him, journey to Eatonville, an all-Black community in Florida. While there, Jody wishes to have a ‘big voice.’ He is a politician and eventually becomes the town’s Mayor, postmaster, shop keep and most affluent landlord and property owner. However, despite all of his success, Janie still feels unfulfilled. She yearns for something more than a man with a ‘big voice.’ She is overcome with boredom and feels that life have become complacent.
She fantasizes about becoming a prominent contributor to the rich social circles of the town. However, Jody feels firmly that those types of people are beneath her and forbids her to interact with the common townspeople. Jody views Janie as a trophy, a projection of his wealth and power. He attempts to mold her into something more fitting of the wife of the mayor. On the outside, Janie submits to her husband’s demands, however, the passion inside of her continues to burn.
For nearly two decades, Janie continues to endure the demands of the man she married until she can no longer take the belittlement. One day, after Jody insults her appearance, she asserts herself and turns him into a shell of a man when she tells the townspeople what kind of man he really is – impotent and ugly. Out of anger, Jody beats Janie and their marriage falls apart. Jody falls ill and Janie visits him on his deathbed, wanting to face him and chastise him for the way he had treated her throughout their entire marriage – despite her having supported him and his many pursuits. As she scolds him, he passes away.
After Jody’s funeral has ended, and his coffin is lowered into the ground, Janie feels an overwhelming sense of calm come over her. For the first time in many, many years she is free. She turns away many potential suitors as she enjoys her new found independence far too much. However, all of that changes when she meets Tea Cake, a man twelve years her junior. Immediately, Janie is overcome by powerful emotions, there is a strong sense of attraction between the two. Despite that gossip of the townspeople, Janie quickly marries Tea – only nine months after the passing of her first husband – and the two sell Jody’s shop and relocate to Jacksonville.
During their first month as a married couple, the two begin to have marital difficulties. Tea steals her money and leaves her alone one evening. This causes Janie to feel that he had only married her for her money. However, he soon returns and explains to Janie that his intention was never to leave her and that he had succumb to a moment of weakness. It is then that the couple vow to always be honest with each other. They relocate to the Everglades, and take up seasonal jobs during the harvest season and socialize during the off months. Tea’s charm and quick wit make their home the best place to be for entertainment and social gathering.
Two years into their marriage, their home is destroyed by a hurricane. As the two attempt to flee, Tea is bitten by a rabid dog. This causes him to fall into a fit of rabies induced hysteria. The madness has convinced him that Janie is having an affair. He takes aim with his pistol and begins to fire at her. Janie is forced to kill him in order to save herself. She is arrested for murder, but an all-male, all-white jury finds her not guilty. After all is said and done, she returns to Eatonville only to find that her former neighbors and friends are all too quick to start horrible rumors – insisting that Tea had only married her for her money and had left her once he had bled her dry.
As Janie finishes sharing her story with Pheoby, who is in awe at what her friend has endured, she returns to her room and feels an overwhelming sense of calm come over her.