The Characters of the Novel

Characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God

By Lauren Veldman

Main Characters

Janie in the TV production

Janie Crawford

Is the protagonist of the story. She is unique in the way that she does not have African American woman features. She has straight, Caucasian-like straight hair. Janie refuses to be a stereotype. Instead, she wears overalls and wears her hair down when she is supposed to have it up. Her maturity rests upon her ability to see that others do not treat her fairly. Her sensuality and romantic search for love make her an easy target for men. She buys into sweet words from men that do not always treat her the best. Janie is married three times throughout the course of her life and all of her marriages taught her something different about love.

Tea Cake and Janie on the piano in the TV production

 Tea Cake

Is Janie's third husband and her first true love. Although he is twelve years younger than Janie, he still impressed Janie. He is witty and charming. Tea Cake really understood Janie and did not force her to do anything. He is calm, patient and affectionate. All of his qualities attracted Janie to him. His ability to listen and communicate with her was stronger than the other men. Tea Cake could be considered a tragic hero because of his pride. Leaving the Everglades was hard for him when signs of the hurricane were approaching.

Nanny in the TV production

Nanny Crawford

Was Janie's grandmother and guardian since she was very little. Nanny’s experience as a slave crushes her worldview with a strong concern for financial security and respectability. Nanny is controlling of Janie and wants her to marry a nice, financially stable young man. Her long for Janie to have a good life results in her and Janie having a complicated relationship. Nanny wishes Janie would have everything she never got to have, she wishes to live through her.

Logan in the TV production

Logan Killecks

Was Janie's second husband and the one she was forced to marry. Logan comes off as a one-dimensional character because very little of his internal feelings are ever shown. This makes sense given the emptiness and despair he symbolizes to Janie. Logan is old and ugly, which contrasts Janie. Logan does not show affection towards Janie, he seems to get frustrated and angry with her. Since Logan owns 60 acres of land, he expects Janie to worship him and cater to his every need. He wants to be controlled when he is not, he is not a very pleasant person.

Jody in the TV production

Joe Starks
Was Janie's second husband. Joe had qualities that attracted Janie right away. Joe is a stylish man, he liked to look sharp to impress the women. Also, he has a lot of pride and confidence. Joe always thought he controlled everything, even Janie. He suffers from an overdose of ambition, a lack of communication, and jealousy over Janie. The ways he treats Janie are awful, he put himself in a place of superiority when he was around her.

The actor who played Pheoby in the TV production

Pheoby Watson

Is Janie's best friend. Pheoby gives Janie the benefit of the doubt when she sees her passing through Eatonville and everybody on the porch is gossiping about her. She is nonjudgmental when she listens to Janie's story. She is very loyal to Janie and was there when Janie needed her. Pheoby narrates the story and makes Janie sound like a nice person who lost their way.

 Other Characters

Mrs. Turner
 Is a middle-aged woman who tries to befriend Janie

because of their similar heritage. Mrs. Turner worships everything white and associates it with beauty. The color black is ugly and Mrs. Turner does not care for it. She believes that white people do things the correct way and every other way is wrong. She pitied herself for being a black woman, and she takes pride suffering under white rule because she deserves it serves as a punishment for her blackness. She also has a hard time understanding why Janie would marry such a black man, Tea Cake.

Leafy
Is Janie’s mother who was born into slavery. Leafy runs away right after she gives birth to Janie. Therefore, Janie is sent to live with her grandmother.

Mr. and Mrs. Washburn 
Are Nanny’s employers after she became a free woman. The couple helped Nanny with the children and provided her with a house in the backyard

Johnny Taylor
 Was Janie’s first kiss and the first man she had a fling with. Their fling prompts Nanny to force Janie to find a more financially dependant man.

Amos Hicks 
 Is a resident of Eatonville and is the first to meet Janie and Joe. Amos tries to lure Janie away from Joe, but is unsuccessful.

Hezekiah Potts- He is the assistant shopkeeper and delivery boy for Joe’s store in Eatonville. He helps Janie run the store after Joe dies.

Annie Tyler 
Is a rich widow who runs off with a younger man and leaves her home. The man she ran off with is named, Who Flung. Janie has worries in the early stages of her marriage to Tea Cake because she fears that he will turn out to be like Who Flung and she will end up like Annie Tyler.

Motor Boat
 Is one of Janie and Tea Cake’s friends in the Everglades. Motor Boat flees the hurricane with them. He waited out the hurricane in an abandoned house.

Dr. Simmons
 Was a white, nice doctor who was well known down in the muck. He breaks the news to Janie that Tea Cake has rabies and he also testified in Janie’s defense at her trial.

Nunkie
 Is a girl that Tea Cake met in the Everglades who was very flirtatious. She made Janie very angry and jealous. Tea Cake did not like Nunkie and reassured Janie that he still loved her.

Mrs. Samuels Was Janie and Tea Cake’s landlady in Jacksonville.

Ike Green tried to get Janie to like him after Joe Starks died.

Tony Taylor and Lee Coker
  were Eatonville residents that are hired to build Joes’ store.

Steve Mixon- He was a customer who came into Joe Stark’s store and bought tobacco.

Mrs. Robbins- A desperate woman who came into Joe Stark’s and begged for food for her family.

Henry Pitts was an Eatonville resident who Joe Stark’s ran out of town after he stole something from his store.

Lige Moss was a Eatonville resident that talked on the porch of Joe’s store about why men stay away from hot stoves.

Rev. and Mrs. Pearson 
was Eatonville’s pastor and his wife.

Mrs. Bogle 
was an old woman who lived in Eatonville.

Hambo and Lum 
were Helpers at Joe Stark’s store

Joe Lindsay and Jim Stone 
Two customers that came to Joe’s store.

Daisy Blunt 
Is a beautiful woman that all the men try to pursue in Eatonville.

Jim Weston and Charlie Jones 
were Two men who try to pursue Daisy Blunt.

Lulu Moss, Mrs. Sumpkin and Pearl Stone 
were Ladies of Eatonville that liked to gossip.

Mr. Prescott 
Was the prosecuting attorney at Janie’s trial.

Ed Dockery, Sop-de-Bottom, Stew Beef, Coodemay, ‘Lias, Sterrett, Bootnyny and Muck Boy 
were Friends and workers Tea Cake and Janie befriended in the Everglades.

Jeff Bruce, Oscar Scott and Sim Jones 
are Residents of Eatonville.