In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's Journey Illustrates the Struggles African American Women Faced in Exchange for Their Personal Happiness and Wishes in the 20th century in order to find their true identity. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay African Americans faced racism; primarily, women faced sexism. African American women were limited by male domination or by parents who believed in the values ​​of male domination. African American women married at the choice of their guardian or parents because of these values; in particular, their parents often wanted to marry them off to men of high social status in the hope of social advancement. In this context, the author, Zora Neale Hurston, depicts the character of Janie going through a series of events, including a few marriages that lead her to finally realize and accept the independent and expressive person she realizes herself to be by the end of the novel. Nanny, Janie's grandmother, was the only guardian Janie ever had. She raises Janie and wishes her the best. Nanny's hopes for Janie are influenced by the fact that Nanny was a former slave and gave birth to Leafy, Janie's mother, who was later raped by her white teacher when she was 17. Leafy became an alcoholic and abandoned Janie when she was young. Nanny wanted Janie to have a peaceful and prosperous life compared to Leafy's or her own. Therefore, Nanny tried to find an acceptable man for Janie against her wishes by completely ignoring her wishes after seeing Janie kiss Johnny Taylor. Nanny vows to marry her granddaughter to a rich man who can provide for Janie and take her away from Nanny and Leafy's lives. Nanny viewed Johnny Taylor as someone who used Janie for his personal pleasures and then left her, just as Nanny and Leafy had been used by the men in their lives. Nanny says, "It's not Logan Killicks that Ah wants you to have, baby, it's protection." Ah, it's not okay, darling. Ah, I'm done, old man... My daily prayer now is to let these golden moments last a few more days until I see you safe in life... You have no one but me. You can't stay alone either. I thought you were kicked from pillar to post, that was a painful thing. (Hurston 15) Nanny's tone expresses concern for Janie's safety due to her experiences of abuse through slavery. For Nanny, it's all about creating a higher place in society, which she spends her final days doing for Janie, as she states, "Neither." can you stay alone by yourself. which explains Nanny's belief in male domination. She says that a woman cannot survive without the help of a man and without the assignment of traditional gender roles, with men being the breadwinners and women being the caretakers. This view binds Janie in a marriage that imprisons her drive to be independent and capable. She wants Janie to have the freedom she never had, that of a middle-class life with financial stability. Due to Nanny's wish, Janie was forced into marriage with a respected farmer named Logan Killicks and expressed her displeasure to Nanny: "Well, if he does everything you come for, with a face as long as my arm?” » said Nanny. "Because you told me that Ah you'll like it, and, and Ah no. Maybe if someone told me how to do it, Ah would do it. Janie replied. Nanny replied, "You come with your mouf full of.