As she begins her story, her listener is blown away by the hardship she’s had to pass through to find the peace and contentment she was looking for – having ventured out on the quest as only sixteen and now returning as a forty-something years old.įull Summary of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ In the whole village, there is only one person who wouldn’t mock her, and this person she feels comfortable enough to share her story with is her best friend since Adam. Of course, she doesn’t care too much about these people or their negative comments, for she is resolute and strong-willed herself. Having had a lifetime experience that spans three tough marriages, she returns home to face the glazing eyes of the villagers who are waiting to judge, gloat, and criticize her. She had left the community many years ago in pursuit of her own version of reality, a romantic relationship that does not confine women to being only housewives to men as is the norm for the women of her generation. ‘Spoiler Free’ Summary of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’Ī woman in her middle age comes into a familiar village dressed in shabby clothes but looks like someone who has found peace with herself. The social reality of ‘ Their Eyes Were Watching God’ has odds stacked up against Janie Crawford – who wants more respect and equality for women of her generation, but the problem is she exists in a world where women such as herself are slapped with gender negative roles and subjugated by men in the family and civil life.

Zora neale hurston eyes watching god