Making Claims

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie sacrifices her dreams, freedom and her voice. Her sacrifices reveal that she values the opinions of others, likes to keep the peace, and ultimately wants to do the right thing. When she marries Logan to satisfy Nanny, Janie sacrifices her dream of experiencing love and living a satisfying life. This reveals to us that she truly valued Nanny's opinion that this would help her life a good life. When she keeps quiet throughout the majority of her marriage to Joe, even when he mistreats her, this reveals that she has sacrificed her voice and values keeping the peace. When she wears the scarf and serves in the store each day, Janie sacrifices her freedom to be herself. This reveals that she wanted to do the right thing and be a good wife. All of this contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole and shares that wisdom that at some point in life, you have to learn to value your own opinion and live life for yourself.