Janie's marriages to Logan Killicks and Joe Starks provide her with all of the things she could ever want. Money was not an object for either of the men, and, according to their perspective, Janie was a reflection on them, and if she didn't have everything they could give her (monetarily), then people would see them as bad husbands. Therefore, they provided Janie with every luxury they could, and made her look superior to others. The two men believed that, in order to please Janie, they would surround her with things.. However, what Janie really wanted in her life was what Joe and Logan deprived her of - people. Janie thought that people were the key to having a fulfilling life, and Joe and Logan kept her away from others as much as they could. Logan Killicks kept Janie away from others by always having some sort of work for her to do around the house or the farm. Joe Starks kept Janie away from others because he felt he had to make Janie look superior to others in order to make himself look better. Plus, Joe knew how much other men desired Janie because of her beauty and Joe had a major issue with jealousy, so he distanced Janie from others as much as possible because he couldn't handle other men looking, talking to, or touching his wife.

Janie was given any thing and every thing her first two husbands thought she wanted or needed, but they deprived her of what she really desired in life - people. Janie felt that it was other people in one's life who completed a person. Janie was very unhappy with both Joe and Logan, despite all of the things they gave her. It was not until Janie was with Tea Cake that she became happy and fulfilled. It was Tea Cake who allowed Janie to be a part of the community she lived in; who allowed her to be a person and not a figure-head. Once Janie was allowed her personality identity, she felt like a complete person.