The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of a woman's growth as a person physically, emotionally and intellectually during a journey towards realizing her life. Throughout the novel, a theme is developed that illustrates the value of finding true love and friendships rather than material possessions and power. This theme is most evident in the conflicting relationships Janie shares with each of her husbands: Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In her relationship with Logan, Janie's desires for reciprocated love are unfulfilled. Despite Logan owning sixty acres of land, their relationship lacks any kind of genuine mutual sensuality and leads to resentment and unhappiness. The dying affection between them is shown when Hurston says, “Janie noticed that her husband had stopped speaking to her in rhyme. He had stopped marveling at her long black hair. At this point, Logan doesn't seem to care about Janie at all; he doesn't admire her hair, the unique quality that symbolizes her strength and independence. In fact, Logan made Janie his slave. He "calls her harshly" and asks for her help in moving the manure outside. When Janie responds, "you don't need my help, Logan," he threatens to kill her with an axe. They do not show any kind of respect or devotion to each other. Janie knows she is unhappy in this relationship and could find someone who treats her better. She has a lot of land with Logan, a rare thing for an African American of the time, but she becomes a disgruntled slave in his home because they don't love each other. This lack of compassion between the couple and hope for true affection drives Janie away and causes their marriage to deteriorate. In Janie's relationship with Jody, she finds someone her age who reminds her that she is young, someone with dreams and aspirations like her, and someone who will take her away from Logan. However, Jody is a power-seeking womanizer who mistreats everyone around him to gain leadership. They don't really care for each other and their relationship is going down the same path as Janie's relationship with Logan. Just one day after their wedding, Janie notices that Jody doesn't "give her a lot of rhyming speeches." This foreshadows the similarity between the two relationships. When the town asks Janie to give a speech, Jody says, "She is a woman and her place is at home." This is one of the first signs that Jody has a blatant lack of respect for women, which causes a lot of turmoil between him and Janie. Jody won't let Janie attend any town events and so she doesn't make any friends in town. He also has Janie tie her hair back with rags. This is a metaphor for how Jody is suppressing Janie's spirit and vivacity. Janie is married to the mayor of Eatonville but that doesn't create happiness in the absence of love. When Jody dies, Janie celebrates her liberation within herself. Janie's relationship with Tea Cake shows many significant differences compared to her relationships with both Logan and Jody. In Tea Cake, Jody discovers true love, friendships, and true happiness in life, regardless of the fact that she has virtually no money. From their first meeting, Janie "found herself glowing inside." Tea Cake has no desire for material things or power that leads him to mistreat or disrespect Janie. It's playful and youthful, and brings Janie back to life after her years spent growing old under Jody's strict command. Tea Cake says that "The moons are too beautiful for anyone to sleep", showing the same appreciation for nature as Janie. For the first time Janie is truly attracted to a man. Admire Tea Cake, "full eyes and.