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Zora Neale Hurston Essay

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Zora Neale Hurston was a famous American novelist, active during the Harlem Renaissance era. A talented short story writer, folklorist and anthropologist, Hurston wrote four novels and published 50 short stories. Zora Hurston was best known for her 1937 novel called, "Their Eyes Were Watching God".
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Notasulga Alabama, Hurston denies being born in 1891, and claims she was born in 1901. Hurston was the child of two former slaves. With her father, John Hurtson, was a pastor, and her mother, Lucy Ann, was a great mother until she died in 1904. The family moved to Florida when Hurston was very young, which inspired Hurston to later write her autobiography, "Dust Tracks on a Road." Hurston lived a long, hard life, after her father was involved in a subsequent remarriage. Sadly, her father abandoned her at a very young age. Hurston was forced to live with different family members for the next few years since her father abandoned her. Hurston learned to support herself, getting multiple jobs to make money. Hurston 's financial efforts, brought her an education. One of Hurston's jobs included working as a maid for an actress in the touring Gilbert and Sullivan group. Hurston's hard work paid off, when she earned an associates degree from Howard University, in literature. Then studying …show more content…

"Their Eyes Were Watching God,'' was a more personal, more "languid", rather than the political and male-centric novels that dominated the era of literature. She changed the standards of literature with her coming of age novel. The impact of the novel still affects today's society as it is regarded as a seminal work in American literature and in women's culture. Her novel shed light on race relations, gender roles, value of women in a relationship and

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