Throughout Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie resides in several communities, each of which plays an important role in the story and serves as an element essential influences on Janie's life. At different stages of her life, Janie lives with her nanny, in Eatonville and in the mud. The presence of these different communities in Hurston's writing helps create Janie as a character and also enhances the story by playing the part of the antagonist or protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Until Janie reaches her late teens, she lives with her grandmother in a community inhabited by blacks and whites. This community only serves as an antagonist for Janie, who does not seem to fit into society in any way. Race plays a large role in Janie being an outcast, as she is black, but has lighter skin than all the other people of color. As a child, Janie doesn't even realize she's actually black until she's pointed out in a photograph among a group of white children. After growing up confused about her identity, Janie struggles with conflicting thoughts about love and marriage. As a young woman, Janie imagines a pear tree that represents the love and relationship she desires: "I want sweet things with marriage" (24), says Janie, who wants to marry someone she loves and wants to spend her life with that person. When the nanny sees that her granddaughter is becoming a woman, she tells Janie that at this point in her life she needs to consider marriage. The nanny is worried about Janie and forces the idea on her that marriage doesn't have to be about love. According to Nanny, Janie's first priority is to find a husband who can provide for her safety. This pressure from the nanny leads Janie to marry Logan Killicks, who owns a respectable 60 acres of land. Janie is not at all attracted to her husband, who she believes is someone who "should never have been loved" (24). Janie "knew now that marriage did not make love" and realized that her "first dream was dead, so she became a woman" (25). These thoughts are the main reason why Janie's life in this community represents her broken dreams. Janie's life with Logan only adds to her collection of miserable memories early in her life, as her unattractive and boring first husband treats her as if she were his property. For this reason, Janie runs away with Joe Starks shortly after meeting him, hoping that this man can provide for her while also giving her a life closer to her dream. Upon arriving in Eatonville, Janie begins a new chapter in her life, which she shares with her new husband Jody. Jody quickly becomes mayor of Eatonville, establishing that he and Janie constitute the highest and wealthiest social class in this black community. It quickly becomes obvious that the small town of Eatonville revolves around the group of "portch sitters", whose recreation is gossip. Janie becomes a popular talking point among the subjects on the porch, who are jealous of her and find satisfaction in showing dislike towards her for her class, gender, and racial differences. As the mayor's wife and companion in the "big house," Janie is considered something of an authority figure in Eatonville, and "soon began to feel the impact of astonishment and envy against her sensibilities" (46). Janie is aware that she is a common topic of gossip among the town's porch-goers, but she goes on with her life without letting any of it affect her. Unfortunately, once Janie settles down with Jody, she finds dissatisfaction,.