Zach LaneMs. SeltzerEnglish 3 awards May 19, 2014Essay Their Eyes Were Watching GodIn today's society women are seen as equal to men, but in the time period in which Their Eyes Were Watching God is set, it was believed that a woman needed a man. In this novel, Hurston portrays Janie as an independent woman, but throughout the book she is almost always with a man due to her position in society. She does this to show that women are capable of independence but do not have the opportunity to be independent. In this essay I will examine the independent elements of Janie's personality as well as the dependent elements of Janie's character. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story about how Janie achieves a strong sense of self and comes to recognize her independence. But his path to understanding cannot be faced alone. The gender differences Hurston uses require males and females to provide each other with things they need but don't have. Janie sees that fulfilling relationships are shared and based on mutual respect, Hurston demonstrates this in Janie's relationship....