Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God opens with the image of Janie returning to her hometown of Eatonville as an empowered woman radiating an aura of confidence. Janie’s arrival in her “faded shirt and muddy overalls” (2) evokes the malice of the townspeople, who judgmentally attack her behind her back with “burning statements” (2), to which Janie responds impassively by “walking straight on to her gate” (2), as she considers “tain’t worth the trouble” (6) to defend herself. The narrator uses this scene to demonstrate the strength Janie has acquired through her ordeals, for even in tattered clothing, Janie’s friend Phoebe describes her as looking like “[Janie’s] own daughter” (4), unstirred and revitalized by the tribulations of her adventures. Indeed, over the course of the novel, Hurston portrays Janie as a woman who overcomes societal norms in seeking and developing her voice and identity. Hurston develops this theme initially through the relationship between Jody and Janie, as Jody’s perception of women as mere implements of men greatly hampers Janie’s development as a person and drowns her voice. Likewise, the community of Eatonville fetters Janie’s actions of asserting her rights as an individual as a consequence of their belief that women should conform to social norms. Ultimately, Hurston utilizes the conflicts between Janie and her external environment to connote that while society exerts oppressive forces on women, through building a stronger and more assertive self in the adversity of these limitations, women can achieve happiness and meaning in life. 

Jody views women as objects whose sole purpose is to elevate their male counterparts’ status, yet Janie pursues true love in which partners of equal status facilitate each others’ growth. When the townspeople call on Janie to make a speech in honor of Jody’s successful election as mayor, Jody steps in to prevent this action because “she’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (43), establishing his belief that women ought to keep silent in the shadows while men exhibit their “big voice” (46). Jodie treats Janie as an object unworthy of attention as he “[strides] along invested with his new dignity” (43), while “unconscious of [Janie’s thoughts” (43), ignorant of her feelings and focusing only on his plans. Moreover, Jody’s action of freeing the mule symbolizes his manipulative treatment of women, as he does not truly feel sympathy for the mule but instead frees it as a noble act to arouse the reverence of the townspeople; similarly, Jody places Janie on a pedestal, “building a high chair for her to sit in and overlook the world” (63), seemingly “pouring honor all over her” (63) but in reality wielding her for personal benefits to enhance his status among the townspeople. However, Janie seeks a relationship based on genuine emotions in which partners respect each other and contribute to the growth of each other. Janie’s marriage with Jody is a tragic one because she never truly loved him, only viewing him as “something she had grabbed up to drape her dream over” (72); upon meeting Tea Cake, however, Janie refers to him as “a bee to the blossom” (106), a metaphor which alludes to Janie’s emergence of sexual desire, deeming Tea Cake as her true love, thus serving as a driving factor in her pursuit of him. Janie also seeks mutual respect in a relationship, as when Jody slaps her on account of a trivial detail, her “image of Jody crumbled down and shattered” (72), contrasting sharply to her relationship with Tea Cake, in which both sides respect and protect each other’s emotions. Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake implies her belief that partners should facilitate each others’ growth since he encourages her to discover meaning in life and “made somethin’ outa [her]” (167), while with Jody, her mind has to be “squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for [his] in [hers]” (86). Conclusively, Jody’s beliefs of women as supplements to augment the power of men contradict with Janie’s value of a genuine relationship based on mutual respect and growth. 

Likewise, the Eatonville community believes that women should prioritize marriage over personal growth, while Janie aspires to find her own voice through asserting her identity. The Eatonville community believes that women should always follow the lead of men, since when Mrs. Robbins comes to Jody begging for extra food, the men reprimand this action by saying they would “break her or kill her” (75) if she was their wife for “makin’ uh fool outa [them] in front of everybody” (75), conveying their belief that women should never challenge the decision of men. Conventional gender norms shroud the town’s eyes, since shortly after Jody’s death, the townspeople urge Janie to marry, as they believe “God never meant [women] tuh try tuh stand by themselves” (90), trivializing women’s worth and abilities based on stereotypes. The Eatonville community also discourages women from personal empowerment, promoting a passive lifestyle dominated by men; Hurston illustrates this reality through the townspeople’s interactions with Janie, as they claim that she “needs uh man” (90) because she is “well taken keer of” (90) by Jody, thereby inhibiting her of the chance to foster her capabilities and the right to control her own life. Though the townspeople of Eatonville oblige women to sacrifice personal development in pursuit of marriage, Janie strives to gain independence by seeking recognition of her individuality. Janie challenges the resisting voices of the Eatonville community to assert her identity, as when Jody insults her before the townspeople in the store, she fights back regardless of others’ opinions by “[taking] the middle of the floor to talk right into Jody’s face” (78), indicating her emerging voice. Janie valiantly seeks to live a life of fulfillment, for regardless of the scrutiny of society, she seizes Jody’s death as an opportunity to extricate herself from the life predetermined by Nanny “tuh live [her way]” (114) in pursuit of freedom and happiness. Through experiencing the unknown in life, Janie achieves independence, as she discovers her self-worth by “find[ing] out about livin’ fuh [herself]” (192), highlighting the importance of taking initiative to challenge the norm. Therefore, the Eatonville community limits women to the orthodox of valuing their role in marriage over self-improvement, while Janie pursues a life of freedom by taking the initiative to assert her individuality. 

Ultimately, through Janie’s conflicts of beliefs with her external environment, Hurston reveals that society pressures women to conform to prescriptive norms, but women should reject these limitations to seek self-empowerment. Society regards women as always subservient to men; black women especially, who are “the mule[s] uh the world” (14), carry burdens of both black men and white men, hindering black women from pursuing and achieving their own meaning in life. The encumbrance forces society places on women induce them to make choices that take away meaning in life, as Nanny, born into slavery, engages Janie to Logan only to grant Janie stability and protection, overlooking the fact that she has “tied [the horizon] around her granddaughter’s neck tight enough to choke [Janie]” (89). Janie’s defiance against social norms often leads to criticism and ostracism from her community, as her independence clashes with the submissive demeanor expected of women, subjecting her to the “jealousy and malice” (186) of the townspeople. In spite of the fact that traditional gender norms in society limits womens’ development, Hurston suggests that women ought to actively fight against these constraints in order to achieve free will and meaning in life. Initially, Janie grapples with how to retaliate against the oppressive public, for even though she has “plenty of life beneath the surface” (76), her spirit is “beaten down by the wheels” (76), the wheels symbolizing the condemnatory voices and constraints of society. As the novel progresses, however, Janie gradually realizes that her feebleness against the forces of society impediments her growth, as she “found that she had a host of thoughts she had never expressed” (72), motivating her to confront these hindrances “to show her shine” (90). Janie’s decision to exhibit her voice nourishes her inner strength and transforms her as a character, for when Jody dies, she sheds her image as an immature and powerless “young girl” (87), emancipating the autonomous “handsome women” (87) concealed under. Furthermore, Janie’s endeavors to achieve self-empowerment grants her a sense of fulfillment; she expresses at a dark moment during the hurricane, “if you kin see de light at daybreak, you don’t keer if you die at dusk” (159), denoting that one’s ultimate reason for being lies in his/her efforts to overcome societal obstacles in the path of self-discovery. In conclusion, Hurston utilizes Janie’s growth as an example to illustrate that women must challenge stereotypes to achieve personal autonomy in spite of society’s oppressive attempts to limit them to their social standards.

In the end, Jody’s perception of women as instruments to enhance the social standings of men clashes with and hampers Janie’s pursuit of authentic love where partners of comparable status mutually foster each other’s development. Similarly, Janie’s belief of carving a unique path by amplifying her voice inspires her to resist against the prevailing belief of the Eatonville community that values women’s dedication to marriage over personal development. Thus, in essence, Hurston’s portrayals of Janie’s clashes with her surroundings unveils society’s relentless imposition of women to adhere to predetermined standards; nevertheless, Hurston vehemently advocates for women to boldly discard these restraints, promoting a pursuit of empowerment. In the beginning of the story, Hurston presents us with the horizon, an idea which metaphorically symbolizes one’s dreams and aspirations; revisiting Janie’s past, one can take note that she initially puts emphasis on finding true love because she views men as her horizon, only to come to realize that they “never [were] the flesh and blood figure of her dreams” (72). In fact, over the course of time, Janie discovers the true significance of her horizon on her path of self-exploration, as she “drape[s] it over her shoulder” (193), morphing with her horizon into one. This action connotes that others can only assist one so far in reaching one’s horizon, but not until after treading on and embracing the arduous path of introspection can one unearth the empowering truth that the horizon ultimately is oneself.