In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's three marriages shape, to a certain degree, Janie's individual identity and sense of self. Janie does not have a choice in marrying Logan Killicks--her grandmother Nanny marries her off to him so that Janie will be secure. Before getting married, Janie feels that love offers a sense of freedom, and she longs for this feeling. However, she soon learns that a marriage cannot make love, and Logan's treating her like "a mule" leads her to run off with Joe Starks. In her marriage with Joe, Janie feels like she has found love in the beginning, but soon Joe begins treating her like a piece of property as evidenced by him making her tie up her hair. Janie is not free to speak her mind in the store, nor can she dress in a manner that reflects her identity. Janie feels like she loses a sense of herself in her second marriage, and when Joe dies, Janie feels like she has been set free. Janie resolves to find someone who will celebrate her independent spirit, and when she meets her third husband Tea Cake, he does just that. So, by the end of the novel, Janie has learned through her three marriages that her independent spirit is valuable.
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