Pursuing Pear Trees and Bees

Throughout the story their eyes were watching god, Janie Crawford pursues a unique idea of love through romantic relationships, which mostly turn for the worse. Janie first creates her own idea of love while watching a bee polinate a blossoming pear tree. The perfect mutual relationship she witnesses inspires her to pursue similar relationships with others. However, her journey has a rough start, Nanny, her grandmother, forces Janie to marry Logan Killicks, a man who has almost no attractive attributes, except for his financial stability.

Logan Killicks is abusive to Janie, and mainly uses her for labor on the farm. He has no sense of humor and is mostly cold hearted. It is impossible for Janie to feel any attraction to him. He does not even seem to clean himself well. In every way this relationship does not meet Janie's expectations for love. It is a one sided relationship, where Janie seems to be on the giving end of, causing her to feel used.

One day Janie meets a man named Joe Starks, a young black man on a journey to Eatonville, where he plans to be mayor. Janie is almost immediately attracted to him, he has charm and is already talking of treating her well. To Janie, it seems that Jody represents a way out from her relationship with Logan. Jody has such big ambitions and is almost an opposite to Logan in many ways at first. So one day, while Logan is out purchasing a mule for Janie to better work the land, she runs away with Logan. It is important to note that she is running from Logan, and not to Jody, as we later see that this relationship is also destined to fail.

Joe Starks fulfills all of his ambitions as mayor of Eatonville, and more in a mad pursuit for power, however this causes him to mistreat Janie. He continues to try to shape his life exactly how he wants it, even heavily shaping Janie's life. He does not allow her to experience simple town life things, like talking to the "common" people, and instead keeps her on a pedestal. Its clear that Jody gives in to lots of societal pressures especially the sexist ones. Janie is just part of Jody's overly masculine image. This makes it all the more embarrassing when after a couple decades of being married, Jody makes Janie snap and she insults him harshly in front of their peers. This causes him to lash out and beats her. From here their relationship is never the same and Jody falls ill, and fatefully dies while Janie tells him of how badly he had treated her while visiting him on his deathbed.

Now free as ever, Janie feels complacent, and despite the advances of several men, feels little desire to pursue a relationship yet. It is only when she meets Tea Cake, Vergible Woods, does she feel a connection and think of marrying again. Janie's relationship with Tea Cake for the most part, aside from a few very notable events, is what she had dreamed of, an equal exchange of love. Janie and Tea Cake go through life together, not separated like her past relationships. In the end it seems that true love found Janie after she stopped chasing it.