The tension between outward conformity and inward questioning is the very heart of Their Eyes Were Watching God, as Janie's character's iconic status comes from her journey of self-actualization. In layman's terms, that means that Janie transforms over the course of the novel from someone that others want her to be to the person that she truly is. In order to do this, she needs to overcome pressures not only from her husband(s), but also the expectations of society.
Displaying outward conformity, or the apparent appeasement of what society views as ideal, is how Janie spends much of her adulthood. Her grandmother expects her to marry young and become an obedient housewife. She conforms, and does it, even though all the while she is troubled by the fact that she's not feeling love in this union. She continually questions and eventually leaves this situation, but only with Killicks' apathetic blessing.
She thinks she's escaping into love when she runs off with Jody, but this is where...
(The entire section contains 594 words.)
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