In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston examines Janies character through a feminist lens, highlighting her struggles with love and identity as a black woman. She utilizes her own experience with love and past lovers as a means of connecting herself to Janie and portraying those struggles. Despite her portrayal of black feminism and stories, the book was met with criticism from some writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and earning some praise from others.