Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and Passing by Nella Larsen both feature black women as main characters. Hurston's novel follows a woman named Janie through her life, while Larsen's follows Clare, a black woman who passes for white. The similarities continue until the end of each novel, as in each case a main character dies. In Hurston's case, Janie ends up killing her husband, Tea Cake. In Larsen's case, Clare dies under unclear circumstances. By looking at the differences between Clare and Janie's choices and their outcomes, it can be argued that Janie was able to find peace in her life, while Clare left behind an unfulfilled life. If one considers these works as part of a larger commentary, one may find that Clare's death serves as punishment for her attempts to erase her darkness, while Janie's peace serves as a reward for embracing hers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, protagonist Janie recognizes and embraces her darkness. This is the standard way he lives his life. Janie also mentions the first time she learned she was black, when she saw a photograph of herself and the white children she played with: “Aw, ow! Ah, I'm black,” [1] she remembers thinking. This part of her identity is constantly mentioned as she tells her story to her friend Phoebe. At sixteen, she recalls, her nanny tells her that black women are " de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see" (Hurston, 186). The three men Janie marries are all black and she moves with Joe Starks to build Eatonville, a historic black town. Once Janie learns of the her race, is never shown questioning her or attempting to hide her blackness On the other hand, Clare is presented in Passing as a white woman In fact, until Irene tells the reader about Clare's background, she is understood as white. Clare's introduction and storyline centers on the fact that she chooses to pass as white. Clare also talks about "passing" with Irene, saying, "I've often wondered why black girls... never. 'passed'. It's a terribly easy thing to do” [2]. Throughout the novel, Clare slowly attempts to reintegrate into black society; however, her starting point is that of a black woman transitioning to whites. At the end of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is forced to shoot her husband, Tea Cake. He had been infected with rabies and had tried to kill Janie, so she had been forced to defend herself. Janie finds herself on trial for his murder; the jury is told that it must decide whether Janie is guilty or whether "she is a poor broken creature, a devoted wife trapped by unfortunate circumstances who, by firing a rifle bullet into the heart of her late husband, performed a great act of mercy" (Hurston, 329). The verdict will decide Janie's fate and will effectively say whether or not Janie is a good wife or a murderer. After the hearing, the jury deliberates quickly and returns with an innocent verdict. The jurors state, “we find that the death of Verligible [Tea Cake] Woods is entirely accidental and justifiable, and that no blame should fall upon the defendant Janie Woods” (Hurston, 329). This verdict, combined with the quick forgiveness Janie receives from Tea Cake's friends, exonerates Janie on all counts, leaving little room for questions about Janie's morality. In contrast, although Clare spends Passing by attempting to join black society through Irene, she ultimately fails to do so. The only thing stopping her from fully participating is 25.