Their Eyes Were Watching God

by

Zora Neale Hurston

Leafy Crawford Character Analysis

Leafy Crawford is Janie's mother, whom Janie never knew. She is the daughter of Nanny and Nanny's slave-master, who raped Nanny just before the end of the Civil War. Leafy is herself raped by her teacher, getting her pregnant, and she begins to drink every night preceding Janie's birth, and ultimately runs away after giving birth to her, leaving Nanny to take care of her granddaughter.
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Leafy Crawford Character Timeline in Their Eyes Were Watching God

The timeline below shows where the character Leafy Crawford appears in Their Eyes Were Watching God. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Gender Roles and Relations Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
...was raped by her master. As a result of that rape, she gave birth to Leafy, a half-black woman with fair skin and gray eyes. The wife of Nanny's master picked... (full context)
Gender Roles and Relations Theme Icon
Desire, Love, and Independence Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
Nanny explains that she initially dreamed of providing a better life for Leafy, but those dreams were dashed when Leafy was then raped by her schoolteacher, who impregnated... (full context)