Their Eyes Were Watching God: Janie's personality

At first glance to me the character Janie seemed to be a unique, individual woman. However, upon further reading I began to feel that she was more defined by others. When Janie was married to Logan Killicks she inwardly despised her life with him, but until Joe Starks came through her way she would never had considered leaving Logan. The same way it went with Tea Cake after Joe's death. How Janie responded to other's she also let be determined by others. Though she wanted to join in the store front conversations she did not because of Joe. Later on during her marriage to Tea Cake she was a woman who played checkers and spoke freely to anyone. The bottom line is Janie Woods' personality was created by the man in her life at the current time.