In Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, we have a narrative framework of women's perspective on life in the rural South. The reader is introduced to a middle-aged, part-African-American woman named Janie, who then confides her life story to her best friend. The common factor between the author and the main character, as Robert Hemenway writes, is that "Janie's poetic self-realization is inseparable from Zora's concomitant awareness of her cultural situation", which exemplifies this novel as a symbol of the role of women in society and women's liberation during this particular time period (Hemenway 37). Hurston creates a character who struggles to find love in marriage and find her own identity. This article will discuss the author's portrayal of a woman's role in society during the time of the novel within the character of Janie, and how difficult it is for Janie to live up to this role. Janie is subjected to many trials throughout her life. She is only sixteen and is confused when she enters her first marriage, unaware of the meaning of true love. In her first marriage to Logan Killicks she doesn't know what to expect from marriage, or if it will lead to love, and if it will end a life of loneliness. As Tracy Caldwell mentions in her analysis of the novel, “Logan “Killicks” was responsible for killing Janie's first hopes for love,” how his name symbolizes his character, and how that character influences Janie (Caldwell 2). Janie is unhappy, then meets Joe Starks, a man who makes her feel special. In this marriage, unlike the first, she thinks she has found love, but she doesn't know if it is love or if it is just an achievement for Joe. For example, Joe states in his campaign speech: “but my wife I don't know, I don't… middle of paper……rs, 1987. Print.Caldwell, Tracy. ""Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston: Discover GALILEO." Ehis.ebscohost.com, 2013. 2-3. Network. November 14, 2013.Hemenway, Robert. Janie's quest for self-discovery. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 37. PrintHemenway, Robert. Janie's quest for self-discovery. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 40-41. Print.Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching God. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. 6. Print.Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching God. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. 43. Print.Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes looked to God. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. 55. Print.Walker, S. Jay. Hurston's version of feminism. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 35. Print.