Their Eyes Were Watching God offers an illuminating look at the journey of a "complete, complex, and unchanged human being," Janie Crawford. Her story, based on self-exploration, self-empowerment and self-liberation, details her loss and attainment of her innocence and freedom as she constantly learns and grows from her experiences with gender issues, racism and life. The story focuses on an important theme; that personal discoveries and life experiences help a person find themselves. The nanny was determined that Janie would break the cycle of oppression of black women, who were "mules to the world." (Both of Janie's first two husbands owned mules and the way they treated their mules paralleled the way they treated Janie. Logan Killicks worked his mule demandingly and Joe Starks bought Matt Bonner's mule and put him to the pasture as a status symbol.) After Joyfully discovering an archetype of sensuality, love, and marriage under a pear tree at sixteen, Janie quickly comes to understand the reality of marriage in her first two marriages. Both Logan Killicks and Joe Starks attempt to bully her into submission by treating her like a possession (Killicks worked her like a mule and Starks used her like a medal around his neck). Additionally, Janie has learned that passion and love are linked to violence, as the Killicks threaten to kill her and the Starks beat her to assert their dominance. He continually struggled to keep his inner self intact and strong despite ...