Their eyes were watching God Essay

Submitted By saracr1
Words: 1232
Pages: 5

I. Self-actualization
a. learning at a high level :
b. Creativity: she is creative because of the way she thinks (pear tree quote)
c. independence: she was independent minded she didn’t want to be told what to do she didn’t like the barriers that were set for her by society.. when she left logan for Jody is and example.... in her time period she wasn’t financially independent she was young everything was decided for her she was a black woman that was poor she didn’t have any mean of being independent while she was younger but when she got Jody's fortune she became financially independent she lived her own life her way not like someone was telling her

II. Esteem:
a. recognizes own strength and intelligence: when she walks back into edenville wearing her hair down and her overalls she completely knows who she is. she realizes how smart and strong she is because of everything she has gone through and is still ok. (last chapter)
b. Status: changes through out her life were constantly viewing her differently either very high respect or very low. (after Jody dies)

III. Love, affection, belonging
a. Acceptance: she is not completely accepted by her 2 first husbands they always try to make her something that she is not and in the town of eatinvile after Jody dies and when she comes back after teacake dies the community still alienates her.
b. membership: when she was in the muck with teacake she was a member she was like everyone and everyone they were poor they all did the same kind of work and she was an accepted member of her community

IV. Safety:
a. Physical safety: she was more or less physically safe nothing really happened to her but she was always somehow abused by her husbands the hurricane was really the only physical threat that she had ever had
b. Economic security: she doesn’t have her own economical security until jody dies and she inherited his money. before that her economic security depend on the financial security of her husbands.
c. Comfort and peace: her most comfortable and safe place was with teacake because she could be herself with him and is happy and peaceful with him.

V. Physiological:
a. food and water: i think she accomplished this because she was never went with out it she was always provided for.
b. Sleep and warmth: she always had a roof over her head a place to sleep she was never homeless she always had somewhere to stay.
c. Health and exercise: she achived this when she lived in the muck because she was constantly outside working with her hands. her happiness with teacake contributed to her overall health. In the Novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Janie had to become self-actualized in what she did in her everyday life. Janie had struggles and she overcame them and in the process became a stronger and wiser person from the experiences she had to face. Although others wanted a different life for Janie she managed to live her life the way she dreamed of when she was smaller and also lived up to the life her grandmother wanted for her. Janie was always taken care of wether by her grandmother or by her husbands. Janie has accomplished the physiological aspect of Maslow’s Hierarchy in a few ways. One way she has accomplished this is she has always had food and water. When she was younger her grandmother provided food and water for her when she was married her husbands were the ones that provided for Janie. There was not a time where Janie was left with out a roof over her head and a place to sleep. Everywhere she went she was nice and warm never left outside in cold or on the street.”And, Janie, maybe it wasn’t to much but Ah done de best Ah kin by you... And Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup out of you.”(Hurston 20). Nanny just wanted to make sure Janie was always taken care of and have what a girl always wanted. When Janie lived in the muck with Tea Cake she got her exercise because she was