In just the first chapter alone, there are many elements that Hurston develops about the protagonist Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God that seem to elude to the idea that Janie is a representation of Hurston herself. The first detail that is brought up is the fact that Janie lies about her age sometimes. Pheoby says that "The worst thing Ah ever knowed was her [Janie] taking a few years offa her age and dat ain't never harmed nobody" (3) pointing out that Janie does in fact lie about her age. Hurston lied about her age constantly, and that is part of the reason why people today aren't sure of how old she was when she died. Also, that quote shows the genuiness of Janie, a quality that Hurson portrayed throughout her life as well. Hurston was humble enough return to being a maid in her later years. She also was not effected by racism, therefore did not have many grudges against anyone for being prejudice towards blacks.
Janie is also presented as a extremely independent lady. She doesn't talk to the women on porch or care what they are saying about her. That can be seen when she walks by them without the slightest recognition of their presence. It can also be seen when she says "Ah don't mean to bother wid tellin' 'em nothin', Pheoby. 'Taint worth de trouble." (6) because it shows her nonchalant attitude towards what others think about her. Another way that the reader can tell that Janie does not care about what others think about her is when she makes "rough jokes" with Pheoby and by the fact that she wears what she wants (overalls with her hair down). Hurston was independent throughout her life, just like Janie is. She left 2 lovers to fulfill her career as a writer. She would also live her life how she wanted, not caring about what others thought of her. For example, Hurston would smoke in public and wear what she wanted all the time. These two characters are mirror images of each other. The real question is, did Hurson mean to make the protagonist so similar to herself?
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