Janie: The Unknowing Man-Eater

In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God there is a sense of constant renewal. As Janie grows as a woman her ability to control her own station in life grows as well. Through her varying relationships-- namely those involving Johnny Taylor and Teacake, the reader can see that Janie not only begins to gain control of her life, she also becomes the arbiter of her own fate. Each relationship helps Janie along the path of self-empowerment and ultimately leaves her standing alone, the ultimate Man-Eater. This short essay will help define Janie's role as a Man-Eater and shed light on the viability of her status as such.

Although Janie's relationship with Johnny Taylor was a short one, hardly lasting longer than a minute, it helps enamor Janie's position as a woman capable of getting what she wants. "She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her [...] She searched as much of the world as she could from the top of the front steps and then went on down to the front gate and leaned over to gaze up and down the road. Looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world to be made" (Hurston 11). With this sense of unrest Janie stumbles upon Johnny Taylor. Although Janie could only view the world from her Nanny's enclosed gate Janie is still able to get what she wants. Her desire to "struggle with life" leads her into her first sexual encounter- a kiss from Johnny Taylor. However, it is not about Johnny at all, he just happened to be there and was able to fulfill the role Janie prescribed for him.

Teacake's death is the most powerful example of the way in which Janie, intentionally or unintentionally, eats the men in her life. Although Janie feels a "self-crushing love" towards Teacake she is unable to keep him alive and ultimately must kill him to save herself (Hurston 128). There is an eerie foreboding in Hurston's writing when Teacake begins to teach Janie how to use a gun. Hurston cites Janie's ability to "Shoot his head off. She got to be a better shot than Teacake" (Hurston 131). Janie's own growth as a woman seems to create a die-off in those around her. Janie and Teacake's symbiotic relationship, one taking care of the other, becomes unbalanced during the hurricane. Before the flood Teacake worked out in the field and Janie cooked his meals, balancing the work in their relationship. One can hypothesize that when this harmony between the two is broken down (when Teacake tries to save Janie from the dog and is bitten) their relationship is no longer viable.

Janie's journey back to Eatonville, alone and worn, is emblematic of her ability to survive when others would perish. Although this essay only looked at two of Janie's relationships, in many ways, each one in the novel showcases her consumption of those around her. Hurston creates a protagonist that not only refused to be oppressed, she is able to create a character that refused to be tamed. Furthermore Hurston does this without ostracizing Janie from the reader. Although Janie can be viewed as a man-eater, her naivety and her constant renewal keeps the reader on her side and behind her throughout the novel's entirety.