Their Eyes Were Watching God Double Consciousness Analysis

Discussion Questions Part two

The Concept of Double Consciousness as Described by Du Bois For many years until only about a few years ago, African Americans have had many difficult experiences as they have searched for their true cultural identity in the American society. The common method of identification of African Americans was their black skin color, hence the name Negros, blacks, and colored people. The African Americans were poor, and discriminated by the rich white people that forced them to adopt a new cultural identity and to be assimilated by the dominant culture while at the same time struggling to maintain their original cultural identity. The African Americans had to learn new way of life as if they lived in two different worlds,

She prefers to focus on the positive side of being an African American in a white dominated society. According to Hurston, she views both identities as equal, which receives much criticism in her literary work. Hurston chooses to use the character Janie Crawford in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God to expound more on the concept of double consciousness. Janie lives with her grandmother who is employed to take care of the children of a white woman. The main theme in the text is Janie`s search for self-identity as she undergoes many life and identity changing experiences. However, she lives as though she is somehow a hybrid and at the same time an African American. It was a major challenge to her as she exemplifies double consciousness. Janie discovers that she is different from others when one of the white children comes across her photo, “So when we looked at the picture and everybody got pointed out there wasn’t anybody left except a real dark little girl with long hair… Dat’s where Ah wuz s’possed to be… so Ah ast, ‘where is me? Ah don’t see me.’…’dat’s you, Alphabet, don’t you know yo’ ownself?... Aw, aw! Ah’m coloured! Den dey all laughed real hard. But before Ah seen de picture Ah thought Ah wuz just like the rest.”