Janie undergoes an evolution as she journeys through different places and marriages, learning important lessons about life along the way. Use the activity for Character Evolution with your students to help them keep track of how Janie evolves throughout the course of the novel.
Janie’s Traits: 16 years old; long beautiful hair; young and a dreamer
Explanation: After sitting under a pear tree, Janie decides that she wants to find a love that is effortless and beautiful; her soul is searching for it. She allows a young boy named Johnny Taylor to kiss her. Nanny sees.
Janie’s Traits: Early 20s; works in Eatonville General Store; keeps her hair tied up in a head-rag; dresses in fancy clothes; miserable
Explanation: After Janie is married off to Logan and learns that marriage does not equal love, she runs off with Joe Starks. Joe intends to keep Janie as a trophy wife and is very jealous of other men looking at her. He isolates her and forces her to hide her hair.
Janie’s Traits: Late 30s; wears overalls; hangs on Tea Cake's every word; works beside him in the bean fields
Janie’s Traits: After Joe's death, Janie finds true love with Tea Cake. He makes her happy, and she feels like she is finally in a true, effortless partnership.
Janie’s Traits: Late 30s; depressed and devastated
Explanation: Janie had to kill Tea Cake because rabies took over his mind. He flew into a jealous rage and tried to shoot Janie. Luckily, she had rigged his gun in case he tried to shoot her; she kills him with a rifle and is put on trial. She is acquitted.
Janie’s Traits: Early 40s; still beautiful; wears overalls; quiet; proud
Explanation: Janie returns to Eatonville to the stares and envious gossip of the town women. She realizes that she finally found the love she had always wanted, and her soul feels at peace. She doesn't acknowledge the other women's gossip because she is now beyond all of that.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows the evolution of Janie throughout the course of Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Invite students to share insights about Janie’s transformation at each story stage. Encourage respectful listening and allow everyone to contribute, helping students connect emotionally with the character’s journey.
Ask students to draw or design timelines that highlight Janie’s changing traits and key events. Visuals help students organize complex information and better understand character development.
Divide the class so each group focuses on a specific plot stage (Exposition, Rising Action, etc.). Have them identify Janie’s traits and significant events, then present findings. This fosters collaboration and deeper analysis.
Encourage students to reflect on times they changed or matured. Relating personal growth to Janie’s journey makes the lesson more meaningful and promotes empathy.
Have students compose a letter as Janie at the end of the novel, describing how she’s changed and what she’s learned. This activity builds empathy and strengthens writing skills.
Janie's character evolution in Their Eyes Were Watching God follows her journey from a dreamy teenager searching for love to a self-assured woman at peace with herself. Through various relationships and life events, Janie gains independence, resilience, and a deep understanding of her own desires and identity.
Students can track Janie’s growth by creating a character evolution storyboard using the provided template. Divide the story into stages like Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution, noting Janie’s traits and key events at each stage to visualize her transformation.
Major events shaping Janie's transformation include her marriage to Logan, her relationship with Joe Starks, finding true love with Tea Cake, and Tea Cake’s tragic death. Each event impacts her personality, values, and outlook on life.
The character evolution activity helps students engage deeply with the novel by analyzing how Janie changes over time. It encourages critical thinking, comprehension, and empathy as students connect events to character development.
Examples of Janie’s traits include being dreamy and hopeful as a teen, miserable and restrained during her marriage to Joe, happy and free with Tea Cake, and ultimately proud and peaceful in her maturity.