In the story Their eyes were watching god by Zora Neale Hurston by giving people control of your life you would not be able to fully live your life. In 1937 West Florida all Janie Crawford wants is to choose her own path in life in a journey of self-discovery and broken hearts. Janie grew up in the care of her nanny who always told her how to live her life her nanny marries her off to an older man named Logan Killicks. He has Janie work hard and treats her like she isn't his wife. She then runs off with Joe Sparks a determined man with dreams everything was going fine until Joe starts to treat her like a trophy wife. He makes her wear a scarf on her head he beats her and he belittles her and. She does exactly as he says 20 years went by of
The black culture is very diverse in different parts of the world-even in different parts of the state. Janie as moved throughout Florida to places such as West Florida, Eatonville, and the Everglades. Residing in these different places helps develop and define the character of Janie. Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie experiences many variations of black culture that helps build her character as she travels through Florida.
The “Rock Pile” by James Baldwin and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston are two stories that examined black male resistance to emasculation. The men in these stories lived in patriarchal societies, and they reaped the benefits of a structure that favored men. In both of these stories, the male characters are dominant figures in their households, and when they felt like their manhood was being attacked, they retaliate viciously. In “Their eyes were watching god”
The man vs nature conflict in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" plays an essential role within the novel. Throughout the novel, especially in the beginning, Janie is shown to have a connection to nature. This is most noticeable in the way that bees and pollen symbolize Janie's maturity and how the horizon is used to represents Janie's lifelong search for happiness. It is because of this, that when the hurricane comes across Janie and Tea Cake near the end of the novel that it is more than just a mere battle for survival. Throughout the novel, forces similar to that of the hurricane antagonize Janie: the doctrines to which Nanny, Logan, and Jody adhere; Mrs. Turner’s racism; the sexism of Eatonville’s men; and the gossip of the porch culture.
An Epic on Jaine’s Silence And her Expolaration of INNER-SELF Introduction In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston a young lady named Janie starts her life obscure to herself. She searches for the horizon as it illustrates the distance one must travel in order to distinguish between illusion and reality, dream and truth, role and self (Hemenway 75). She is unconscious of life’s two most valuable endowments: adore and reality. Janie is raised by her suppressive grandma who reduces her perspective of life.
In 1920s Harlem, swing music reigned, great works of art and literature were being created every day, African American creative expression was at its height - The Harlem Renaissance was alive. Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, was one such black expressionist at this time. Several characters in her celebrated novel demonstrate the ideas of the Harlem renaissance, but most notable of these characters is Janie, the strong, Black woman that the novel is based around. The novel tells the story of Janie’s journey for love, and the heartbreak and misfortune that she encounters along the way to the “horizon”. Zora Neale Hurston’s writing is both a reflection and a departure from the ideas of the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem
As has been mentioned in the first chapter, the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement were intended to re-establish black identity. Their aim was to break with the old stereotypes that were associated with the black. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston creates a society which consists exclusively of African Americans as “white folks had all the sayso where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin’ dis place dat colored folks was building” (Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1990: 28). Her aim is to shed light on the black community and to depict their unity that is not disturbed by the whites. In his research, Benesch describes Eatonville as a tightly integrated and developing city in which citizens do not want to conform to the norms
People have been striving more since the beginning of time, even with political roadblocks and social norms. During the harlem renaissance, African Americans battled the limiting socitil norms of the time to discover their true selves, this can also be seen in Their Eyes Were Watching God with the journey of Janie. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston demonstatres how people can gain empowerment in their lives by self-discovery and the pursuit of personal fulfillment this is shown by the symbol of the horizon, the character arc of Janie and the motif of language and voice. The Harlem Renaissance was all about people learning their language and finding their voice.
Drexel's programs on Zora Neale Hurston and Their Eyes Were Watching God was fascinating. I was nervous about attending because I never read Hurston’s book or understood the book’s significance. After the program, I became interested in learning more about Hurston’s life. I knew she attended Columbia University (as the only black student), but I had no clue she had to lie about her age to attend freely attend high school. I enjoyed listening to Dr.Wall’s speech, but I was reminded of the uncomfortable feeling I had when learning about my maternal family tree.
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.
Her Story, Her Voice The unique story that is Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of voices collected together to create one big voice. Hurston uses many characters’ voices to help Janie find her own, actual voice and tell her story by the end of the novel. The story by Zora Neale Hurston is a frame story which is a story within a story. Hurston, like many other authors, uses the frame narrative to help the story come full circle and create a sense that the reader is part of the story.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie suffers from hardship in two relationships before she can find her true love. Janie explains to her best friend, Pheoby, how she searches for love. Therefore Pheoby wants to hear the true story, rather than listening to the porch sitters. Throughout the book Janie experiences different types of love with three different men; Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods. At 16 Janie marries Logan Killicks.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Janie is held back from growing to her full potential. Janie is married three times and in each marriage there is one item that restrains her. In her marriage with Joe she was forced to wear a head rag to cover her hair because it is so long and beautiful. The red rag resembled the restraint Joe put on Janie.
Symbolism has the power to transform ordinary objects, actions, or words into profound representations of complex ideas and emotions, captivating the imagination and deepening the emotional connection between the audience and the novel. Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God is a novel brimming with symbolism, illuminating the story's deeper meaning beyond its surface-level plot. The novel follows the story of Janie Crawford, a young African American woman who embarks on a journey of love, relationships, and self-discovery. Hurston uses various symbols throughout the novel to represent different aspects of Janie's life. Five symbols are essential to understanding the novel's plot, themes, and characters.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses speech as a tool to show the progression of the story. Janie Crawford, the main character of the novel, finds her true identity and ability to control her voice through many hardships. When Janie’s grandmother dies she is married off, to be taken care of. In each marriage that follows, she learns what it is to be a woman with a will and a voice. Throughout the book, Janie finds herself struggling against intimidating men who attempt to victimize her into a powerless role.
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. Nanny lived a hard life and she made a rough conclusion about how to survive in the world for her granddaughter, provoked by fear. " Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outa you: Have some sympathy fuh me.