In Their Eyes Were Watching God, arguably one of the most prominent themes of the novel is living one's dreams. In the second chapter of the novel, the narrator reveals Janie's beliefs about love as she compares love to a blossoming pear tree. The sense of beauty, freedom, and independence that Janie feels love offers is represented by the unfolding nature of spring. Janie wants to find true love for herself. However, Nanny has a different idea and marries her off to Logan Killicks so that Janie will be financially secure. But Janie reasons that "marriage does not make love," and after he treats her like a "mule," she goes off down the road when Jody Starks comes through. Yet her marriage to Jody ends up being no better as he forces her to tie up her hair and treats her like a piece of property. Through all the hardship, however, Janie does not lose the belief that love should impart a sense of freedom, so after Jody dies, Janie again looks for the kind of love she wants and deserves. She finds this love in Tea Cake. After he dies, Janie is content being on her own because she has realized the dream of love that she had as a teenager.
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