Their Eyes Were Watching God and Wallace's theory

Janie's journey in Their Eyes Were Watching is about discovering one-self and strengthening self-awareness. This is precisely Wallace's message in his commencement speech, in which he warns the audience of the importance of being self-aware and of taking control of one's life. This is applicable to Janie’s human experience in the novel, as she challenges the societal conventions of tradition by gradually becoming more self-aware and empowering herself to chase her own goals to achieve a sense of self-fulfillment and emancipation. This is observed in Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks, in which her naïve assumption that marriage would unequivocally lead to love is dismantled completely. Consequently, Janie starts to develop a sense of self-awareness, in which she realizes that this lifestyle does not concord with her goals. Under Wallace’s philosophy, Janie decides that she does not have to conform with her marriage and, additionally, chooses to prioritize her needs above the prejudice that her decision to run away with Jody Starks would spark in her community. 

This example of self-empowerment serves as a valuable lesson to the reader about emotional intelligence. In the aforementioned example, Janie was able to detach her ‘obligations’ as a woman in her community –to detach herself from what was expected of her– from her own needs not only as a woman, but as an individual. As a woman who in the context of the novel can be argued to have been socially oppressed by the gender roles placed upon her, Janie is able to validate her own needs. This can be interpreted under Wallace’s philosophy as a rebellion against society, given it is expected for someone to be predominantly selfless as opposed to selfish. Janie decides to challenge this convention, not necessarily in a selfish way, but in a truly self-aware way because through the application of personal emotional intelligence, she knows that if she is to stay with Logan Killicks, it will only lead to a life of unhappiness and mediocrity. 

In addition, the novel develops emotional intelligence as Janie journeys through her human experience for the discovery of her own version of love. Every marriage contributes another facet to Janie’s understanding of self– another understanding of where her limits lie and under what circumstances it is imperative for her to stand up for herself. This teaches the audience that no two experiences are the same, but that what is important is to start recognizing the signs that dictate the need for a change. Hurston makes a powerful message of not conforming with what society dictates as ‘appropriate’ or ‘decent’, and that it is necessary to embark on that journey “to the horizon and back”, despite the unconventional circumstances that that journey may entail. a