Janie's years with Joe Starks fill the third section of the framework in the novel. This unit represents Janie's early happiness with Joe as well as her later dissatisfaction with Joe as he treats her like one of his many possessions. Janie suffers from Joe's possessive love as she is trapped in a loveless relationship. Joe's control over Janie actually fosters her strength and autonomy. However, it is also in this section that Janie gains the inner strength that she will use throughout the rest of the novel.
The fourth and final section of the novel focuses on Janie's marriage to Tea Cake. Finally, Janie has experienced freedom and independence following Joe's death. She meets the captivating and charming Tea Cake and finds the love that she has desired since her adolescent years. He satisfies her desire for love, and she experiences true happiness for the first time. With Tea Cake, Janie is no longer the possession that she was to Joe, and the love that she feels is not based solely on security and protection. This fourth unit brings the novel to the end of the frame.
The framework of the novel is complete as Janie's recollections and stories end and Pheoby returns home to her husband. It is through Janie's eyes that the reader understands the story. Yet, Hurston tells the story in third person to allow the reader to know more about the other characters and their perspectives.
It is possible that Hurston chose to tell the story within a framework to give Janie a voice in the novel. Had Hurston relied solely on a third person narrative, Janie would have had no voice. Using first person narrative in this framework proves that Janie has gained strength and independence as a result of her lifelong search for true love.
