Love and marriage were structured to be the peak in women's lives within society for ages, as fairytale endings, the expectations of motherhood, and female roles have been instilled. In Janie's story, this deems true as she puts love and happiness within the same regard, depicted in the statement, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer. Janie had had no chance to know things, so she had to ask. Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the umated? Did marriage compel love, love the sun the day” (Hurston, 53). Janie's understanding of love changes as does her understanding of herself and her own identity in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Beginning the novel with an innocent, romantic, yet potentially inordinate value and need for love and marriage, Janie's own path to independence and her sense of self is informed by her experiences that stray from this initial expectation of love. Loneliness and a lack of that sense of powerful love that Janie envisioned within her marriages with Jody and Logan consumed Janie, making it complicated for her to find her own independent power. This is directly symbolized in Jody's treatment of Janie, as he is possessive and abusive. As a black woman especially, social expectation placed significant boundaries on Janie's autonomy to speak and be heard, thus affecting her view of herself and her happiness. Walker assesses this throughout her essays, especially in analyzing the representation of black women in texts and society. Walker writes "Black women are called, in the folklore that so aptly identifies one's status in society, 'the mule of the world,' because we have been handed the burdens that everyone else...refused to carry," (237). In this, Walker points out the image that black women are given in society, that in turn affects their image of self and their happiness. Walker continues to address the way in which black women's character is distorted, ignored, and disregarded in saying "When we asked for love, we have been given children...our labors of fidelity and love, have been knocked down our throats," (237). It is not until Janie realizes there is more to her life and her identity than love in her marriage with Tea Cake, where she finds her voice and her worth not as a wife, but as Janie. Though Janie's race is not as frequently addressed in this text as other novels we've read, these readings of Walker's work are still valuable as Zora and Janie, both, are both black women.