Janie Crawford, the main character of Zora Neale Hurstons' Their Eyes Were Watching God, was an unusually independent woman as compared to the women of her time. The main plot of Janie's story comes from her life, which is permeated by her men. Though she evolved into an independent woman, Janie was married three times and didn't truly find love until she married her last husband. During her life Janie's husbands: Logan Killicks, The Honorable Joe Starks and Tea Cake Woods became her lessons and her legacy; they were her men.
             Although the novel does not go into deep detail about the " first" man in Janie's life, her life began with disaster through her father. His name is not given but it is noted that he was a white man (the school teacher) who raped her mother, Leafy. Ergo, Janie was raised by her grandmother (Nanny) with no real man in her life as she grew up. However her grandmother tried to raise her to "get a good husband".
             The second man in Janie's life was really the first physical encounter, though there was no major interaction between the two. Johnny Taylor was a young neighborhood man that "steals" a kiss from young Janie. As she enjoys the kiss and is just about to develop an initial opinion about men, Nanny walks in and "catches" Janie in the act. This incident will be an unfortunate prediction of her life. As with all of her men, just as things are going to progress to a stage of pleasantries and tolerance, the men are gone.
             This first "real" man in Janie's life is Logan Killicks. Logan, her first husband was a farmer. This marriage was arranged by Nanny to ensure that her granddaughter would be well taken care of for life. Nanny didn't realize that the "come-as-it-may" lifestyle that she allowed to live would seriously conflict with the life of a farm wife. Logan expected Janie to be the perfect wife and farm hand
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