Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

In order to depict many different images of love, William Shakespeare writes about the challenges of love between Romeo and Juliet. The playwright presents several aspects of love, such as unrequited, parental, and romantic love. Shakespeare’s message, while originating in the 1500s, is not unique to themes of love. In fact, this theme resurfaces many times throughout the history of literature. For instance, Zora Neale Hurston visualizes different images of love in her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Like William Shakespeare, she uses the protagonist’s struggles, as well as symbols, to emphasize different forms of love. Hurston uses the pear blossom and Logan Killicks as symbols, proving the main message that prior experiences form

One time in the afternoon, Janie witnesses her first experience of love: “She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees… 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! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid”(Hurston 11). Janie’s experience with the pear blossom is her first dealing with love and romance. This experience seems to both introduce her sensually to sex, as well as preserve her innocence by building such a romantic ideal for her future lovers to live up to. Later, she seeks to find a relationship as voluptuous as experienced: “Oh to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of

For example, when Janie asks Nanny who she would want her to marry, Nanny replies, wanting her to marry; “Brother Logan Killicks. He’s a good man, too”(Hurston 13). Logan is introduced as Nanny’s viewpoint on love. His abilities as a man are referenced, hinting at Logan as one with strength and protection. Much to her disapproval, Janie doesn’t feel love for Logan: “The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, but Janie didn’t know how to tell Nanny that” (Hurston 14). The idea of marrying Logan does not support Janie’s opinion of love, but she respects Nanny to the point where she will do anything if Nanny believes it is right. She contrasts him and the pear blossom, separating the two symbols from one another. This causes Logan, as a symbol of love, to oppose Janie’s amorous view of love. Janie’s opposition of Logan leads to him representing a new opinion of love not yet demonstrated to her. When Nanny helps reassure Janie, she explains the positive aspects attracts her to Logan: “Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection… Mah daily prayer now is tuh let dese golden moments rolls on a few days longer till Ah see you safe in life”(Hurston 15). Nanny feels that the one part of her life that is dissatisfying is not having a source of protection for Janie when she is no longer there to protect Janie herself. She associates