Their Eyes Were Watching God Adversity Essay

In The Eyes are Watching God, the author Zora Neale Hurston expresses the struggles of women and black societies of the time period. When Hurston published the book, communities were segregated and black communities were full of stereotypes from the outside world. Janie, who represents the main protagonist and hero, explores these communities on her journey in the novel. Janie shows the ideals of feminism, love, and heroism in her rough life in The Eyes. Janie, as the hero of the novel, shows the heroic qualities of determination, empathy, and bravery.

In “Their eyes were watching god” Hurston tells the story of Janie, a black woman who because of her grandmother experiences and beliefs was forced to marry into a loveless marriage with Logan Killicks, a hard-working farmer who had 60 acres of land and could provide for Janie. This marriage ended when Janie ran away with Joe Stark, a man that she fell in love with and thought could give her the love absent between her and Logan. But Janie soon realized that her second marriage wouldn’t turn out better than her first. Joe was just as controlling and degrading as Logan. He hardly expressed his love for Janie and spoke to her like an incompetent child. Janie didn 't start living until Joe died and she met Teacake. With Teacake Janie felt alive, they understood and respected each other. Their marriage was full of love and compassion, two things that Janie always wanted. Her marriage with Teacake ended in a tragedy, but Janie felt like she lived a life full of new beginnings, and she was content with that.

"There's two things everybody got to find out for theyselves: they got to find out about love, and they got to find out about living. Now, love is like the sea. It's a moving thing. And it's different on every shore." (Film) Janie, a young, strong willed, black woman, sets of on a life long journey to find her perfect shore in Their Eyes Were Watching God. While this is true for both the film and novel, some argue that the film excluded some of the most important pieces from the novel. However, details about Nanny, Leafy, Logan Killicks, and Jody, may have been unnecessary for the big screen.

In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, there are many meal scenes that could correlate to Foster’s idea of communion whilst dining. This novel is loaded with metaphorical meal scenes, all of which contribute significantly to the story. There are a few important meal scenes though that develop and contribute to the plot more than others. The first of these occurs when Jody decides to open the store and give away free food. The second is when the people of the glades go to Janie’s house for mirth and company. Both of these meals are symbolic as they show how men treat their wives, and both meals are acts of communion, good and bad.

During the 1920s, many traditional values were abandoned in place of unconventional ideologies. However, several groups clung to the time-honored morals of their fathers. These opposing viewpoints were the root of much tension in society, especially in locations where a black majority was prevalent. Examples of this controversy are present throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by black feminist author Zora Neale Hurston. The main conflict and the moral beliefs in the novel stem from protagonist Janie Crawford being an independent thinker and having divergent principles from the other censorious members of her society.

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is repressed because she is a colored woman. She is looked down on from the eyes of the men in her life, especially her husbands. At the same time, she must deal with racism because she is a black woman. Her Nanny’s view of race also affects Janie’s life. Janie’s gender had a bigger impact on her life than the fact that she is black.

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, each and every male character feels the need to assert their dominance over Janie. In her first relationship, Logan Killicks asserted his dominance by always talking don on Janie. Rather than being thankful for what she would do for him, he would respond with answers such as, "Come help me move dis manure pile befo’ de sun gits hot. You don’t take a bit of interest in dis place. ‘Tain’t no use in foolin’ round in dat kitchen all day long…” As a young child, Janie always imagined that with marriage, love would come, However during her first marriage she realized that in some cases men simply wanted women as a way to assert their dominance over them. This was also true in her second marriage with Joe Starks. When she first met him, Janie believed that Joe truly loved her since he would always buy her stuff. However after some time, she began to realize that he simply liked her because not only did her appearance allow him to assert his dominance over the other townspeople, but also because of the way that Janie would allow herself to be treated. All the times that Joe would talk down on Janie, or simply even beat her, Janie would allow herself. Joe loved this because not not did it make him feel good about himself , since it made him feel powerful, as men believe they should, but it also forced the townspeople to view him as a strong and masculine leader, an image of himself that he loved. Therefor, when Janie stood up against him and insulted a man’s most prized possession, he was infuriated beyond repair. As for Jamie's third husband, Tea Cake, at first he was characterized to be a nonconforming male that did not need to assert his masculinity in order to feel like a man. However when he became overpowered by jealousy, he returned to the way that society

Being mature is usually correlated with older age, but that’s not necessarily correct. Everyone has been told to “grow up” at some point, have been expected to be sophisticated no matter their age. Maturity does not depend on age because parents raise children in varying ways and have experienced unique learning opportunities, and strive for incomparable goals in life

People come into our lives for different reasons. Some leave a positive impact, while others bring negativity. Readers and critics alike have treasured Zora Neale Hurston’s 20th century novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, for generations particularly for its complex portrayal of the different main characters. The people a person meet and the experiences that person many go through in their lifetime can alter a person significantly. Through the tyrannical words of Joe Starks and the inconsiderate actions of Nanny, Janie in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is negatively influenced as her actions and thoughts alter her life. The author Zora Neale Hurston conveys the message that people closest to a person’s heart can often hide their true

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s happiness and self-fulfillment greatly depended on the man whom she was in a relationship with. From, the beginning of the novel, Janie never followed the path that had the utmost value to herself; She always settled for what other people thought was best for her. This made Janie never quite content with her situation and caused her happiness and self-fulfillment to be hindered by her circumstances. The horizon, a motif representing dreams, wishes, the possibility of change, and improvement of ones’ self, is the point in which Janie’s journey of self-discovery is illustrated by.

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is a novel written by Zora Neale Hurston. The novel portrays Janie, a middle aged black woman who tells her friend Pheoby Watson what has happened to her husband Tea Cake and her adventure. The resulting telling of her story portrays most of the novel. Throughout the novel, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of love, or being in a relationship versus freedom and independence, that being in a relationship may hinder one’s freedom and independence. Janie loves to be outgoing and to be able to do what she wants, but throughout the book the relationships that she is in with Logan,Jody and Tea Cake, does not allow her to do that. Neale Hurston further supports this theme with symbolism, like Janie's hair rag that held up her

One of the universal themes of literature is the idea that children suffer because of the mistakes of an earlier generation. The novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" follows the story of Janie Mae Crawford through her childhood, her turbulent and passionate relationships, and her rejection of the status quo and through correlation of Nanny 's life and Janie 's problems, Hurston develops the theme of children 's tribulations stemming from the teachings and thoughts of an earlier generation. Nanny made a fatal mistake in forcibly pushing her own conclusions about life, based primarily on her own experiences, onto her granddaughter Janie and the cost of the mistake was negatively affecting her relationship with Janie.

Porch. A covered shelter projecting in front of the entrance of a building. This inanimate object served to develop various themes throughout the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. She reveals the theme of jealousy and envy, gender inequality and a sense of community with the help of the porch.

Janie's character in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a fluid character that changes, but also remains constant in some aspects. During chapter 5 and 6 her tendencies are called to attention through Joe's criticism. As he verbally attacks Janie and pushes her around her feelings and reactions illustrate who she is as a character, in this point of her life.

Janie Crawford Killiks Starks Woods is the main character in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, where she learns what's it's like to go from marriage to marriage looking for love. In the novel, Hurston utilizes the pivotal moment when Janie realizes that marriage doesn’t always mean love to show Janie's coming of age and psychological development which is used to show that love doesn't always come first.