Symbolism In Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston used symbolism throughout the novel to express the influences that molded Janie’s emotional life. There were three moments when Hurston’s use of symbolism was used to demonstrate the forces that had an impact on Janie’s emotional life stood out, which are the vision of the pear tree, Nanny’s horizon rope, and Joe Starks’ head rag.

One of the most referred and used symbolism throughout the novel is Janie’s pear tree vision. The vision occurs in chapter 2, but it continues to shape Janie’s decisions throughout her life from deciding to leave Logan Killicks to live with Joe Starks and then deciding to live with Vergible Woods after Joe’s death. The pear tree vision is Janie’s own view of how a good marriage should be and how the world should feel when you’re with your true love:

She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! (Hurston 11)

When Janie first met Joe Starks, Janie felt a bit of hope return to her since her dream of love died when she married Logan. When Janie decided to act upon her pear tree vision, Hurston referred to the pear tree symbolism by saying, “From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything. A bee for her bloom.” (31). Unfortunately, Janie learned that Joe Starks wasn’t the