Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, depicts the story of Janie, a young girl, on a quest to discover who she is. Several factors influenced Janie's transition from childhood to adulthood, but one of the major forces at work was her search for God. Janie's search and eventual discovery of God occurs at an ideal time, and it proves that Janie finally understands what it means to live for herself.
Janie does not set out to discover God when she begins her quest into adulthood, and the timing of her discovery of Him is very important. God comes into Janie's life only when she needs Him to do so. For the majority of the novel, Janie has someone that she could rely on to protect her from harm, whether it was Nanny or one of her three husbands. Janie rarely mentions God until her life is in danger; however, when Janie is threatened by the hurricane, a force that Tea Cake is helpless against, Janie turns to the only thing which she believes can affect her fate. Sitting in their shanty, Janie says that "they seemed to be sitting in the dark, but their eyes were watching God," proving that she looks to God for help when she needs help the most. Janie doesn't simply decide to find God, she allows Him into her life only when she believes that all earthly powers are unable to affect her fate. After Tea Cake's death, Janie clings to God because she has little else left to believe in. In losing Tea Cake, Janie loses a very large part of herself, and as a result she seeks comfort in Him. She seeks answers from God, stating that "[her] arms went up in a desperate supplication for a minute. It wasn't exactly pleading, it was asking questions." In a sense, God is the only companion that Janie has left. Therefore, it is logical that Janie believes that finding God is essential to finding herself and finding happiness.
Janie's acceptance of God is her final step into discovering herself. When Janie accepts God into her life, she is distancing herself from everything she had once known. Janie is happy with Tea Cake, and she obviously loves him, but Janie no longer relies solely on Tea Cake for her happiness. While earthly beings may come into and leave Janie's life, God will never abandon Janie. As long as Janie has comfort in Him, she will never feel lost or alone, and therefore she will never feel obligated to have a man in her life. While at her trial, the narrator says that Janie "would speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help her God." Although these lines are spoken by every witness at every trial, the narrator includes them because Janie really is hoping that God will stand by her side at the trial and relies on the support He provides her. Janie is now able to find her own happiness, and she never again will rely on another human being to make her feel complete. At the end of her quest, Janie discovers two things about life: "[people] got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves." Janie is certainly capable of loving again, but she is equally capable of living on her own, now that she has found God.
Janie's search for self begins with finding a man, and ends with finding God. Because God loves unconditionally, because he never doubts one and always offers his forgiveness, it is reasonable that this is the case. Janie is able to find at least some fault in every man to whom she is married; however, she never finds fault in God. Janie prays to God, she questions His motives, but she never finds fault in Him. Perhaps this is the very nature of God Himself. When one loses everything one cares about in earthly life, God is always willing to accept him or her. The thought is very comforting, and therefore finding God could lead a person to be happy and content, without needing anything else in her life.
