Their Eyes Were Watching God: Chapters 1-3

Chapters 1-3 are jampacked with information, y'all! 

Janie is new in town, not… When she arrives at sundown, she is still very much the

town's hot gossip.

"These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins" (Hurston 1).

She ran off with a man at least 10 years her junior, Tea Cake, and then he left her. Oh 

how scandalous!

Luckily, Phoeby slid away from all these gossipers (Pearl, Mrs. Sumpkins, and Lulu) back to her house to meet up with her best friend Janie with her delicious mulatto rice handy. Phoeby and Janie had lots of catching up to do, and nothing they needed to say was spared.

 

Janie is simply not all about the gossip and wants the others to know the truth. She would rather people come see her and know what it's all about instead of making up everything for themselves. But unfortunately, some of their gossip turned out to be the truth.

 

Janie loves Tea Cake, and apparently he gives her the world, but he's gone! Was it ever love?? And she can't stand to be by herself any longer, so that's why she decided to come back to town.

 

Soon afterwards, we hear the truth about Janie. She talks about how she grew up with neither her mom nor her dad, but her grandmother was always to her rescue. She also grew up with Mr. and Mrs. Washburn's children who were all very welcoming to her.

Later in life in her teen years, she was caught by her grandmother kissing Johnny Taylor, and she enjoyed it! Her grandmother let her know that she would have to be married because she is now a woman and wants her to live comfortably, but Janie can't have that. She can't bear to even look at Mr. Killicks. She eventually marries him due to the wishes of her grandmother. When Janie's Nanny passes away, she begins to see other plans…