What social issue does "Their Eyes Were Watching God" address through its characters?

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston primarily addresses women’s rights and empowerment through the experiences and growth of its protagonist, Janie Crawford. Throughout the novel, Janie navigates a series of relationships that reflect her struggle to find her own voice and identity within a patriarchal society that often stifles women's independence and self-expression.

Her journey is marked by her desire for true love, self-fulfillment, and autonomy, challenging the traditional roles assigned to women at the time. Janie’s relationships with the men in her life—Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake—serve as vehicles for her exploration of independence and the pursuit of happiness. By the end of the novel, Janie's experience of love and loss empowers her to embrace her individuality and reclaim her narrative, symbolizing the broader struggle for women's rights and self-realization in the early 20th century.

The other choices, while they could be considered themes in some context of American literature, do not encapsulate the central focus of Janie's personal journey and the message of empowerment that is pivotal in Hurston’s work. The novel does touch on aspects of race and societal issues but primarily through the lens of Jan