Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapter 17-20)

The theme of the novel is summarized by Janie in three sentences: "you got tuh go there tuh know there...Two things everybody got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves." These sentences empower direct action by all people, women and men alike. Janie has discovered that she must live for herself in order to be self-fulfilled.

More difficult to understand, perhaps, is the theme of "going to God" or "watching God." Why would Janie recommend that all people find God? Janie "finds God" in the hurricane. The might and fury of the storm causes Janie and her friends to seek a larger meaning behind the storm. They watch God to try to glimpse a meaning behind nature's fury, nature's creation, and their own destinies.

Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapters 11-16)

In the beginning of these chapters, the love between Janie and Tea Cake is tested for the first time, and they reveal their true selves to one another. To start, Janie hides money in her dress in case the relationship with Tea Cake does not work out. She has smalls doubts that his feelings for her are fueled by her wealth. Her withholding of the money, at Phoebe's advice, suggests that Janie is not prepared to be completely vulnerable and honest with Tea Cake. Tea Cake, too, holds back part of himself. He does not reveal his real friends to Janie, thinking that she would dislike him once she knew them. By the end of this section, however, Tea Cake and Janie finally are able to be more honest with one another.
Unlike her relationship with Jody, it seems that Tea Cake is willing to be more of a companion rather then a domineering partner. For Janie, this is in her mind her first real chance at happiness despite what others may think. 

Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapter 5-10)

In these chapters, Janie and Joe take the train from Maitland to Eatonville. When they arrive in Eatonville, both are disappointed with the town. Joe demands to talk to the mayor, but one of the men tells him that there is no mayor. Joe tells Coker that he thinks that the town is too small and that he will buy land from Captain Eaton, the gentleman that owns the neighboring land. Joe calls a meeting on his porch the next day to discuss his desire to build a post office and put up a store. The townspeople agree that building a store is a good idea. Joe earns back all the money he invested in building the store by selling land to people who want to move to the town.
Joe has established himself as "important" from the very beginning in this town. His character in these moments foreshadows his actions that will follow throughout the rest of the book. He is a control freak to a degree. He controls the town, he controls the store, and he controls Janie. 

Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapters 1-4)

The novel begins with a passage about the differences between the dreams of men and women. Men's dreams are like distant ships. For few men, the ship comes in and the dream is realized very quickly. For other men, the ship sails for a long, long time on the horizon. By the time these dreams finally can be realized, so much time has passed that the dreams are worthless. Unlike Men, women don't wait and watch for their "ship to come in." However, some women have dreams and some do not. And for the women, the mere possession of the dream is what matters.