Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neil Hurston

1157 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character development introduction

the novel, the pear tree symbolizes Janie's idealized vision of love and marriage. The mule, on the other hand, represents the oppression and mistreatment of African Americans during the time period in which the novel is set. The storm symbolizes chaos and upheaval, both in nature and in Janie's personal life. Finally, Janie's journey itself is a symbol of self-discovery and empowerment. As she navigates through different relationships and experiences, she learns more about herself and what she wants out of life. Overall, the use of symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God adds depth and complexity to the story, allowing readers to explore themes and ideas beyond the surface level. ed journey.
A symbol of the hardships and obstacles that Janie faced is the hurricane that occurs in the Everglades where she and Tea Cake live. When the storm arrives, they attempt to evacuate the area quickly but are unsuccessful. While huddling with their colleagues during the storm, they hear, "the wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time… They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (160). In the eyes of the characters, this mighty force of nature is compared to God, a powerful and divine being who can create beautiful things but can also destroy them. The hurricane represents the hindrances Janie faced throughout her journey. Despite these difficulties, she manages to keep faith and overcome her hardships. The massive storm gives Janie the strength to conquer future obstacles in her prolonged journey. lives. She dreams and wonders about her future life with the perfect man. Her journey can be compared to our own personal pursuit of self-happiness. This captivating novel begins with a statement that makes the readers contemplate. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, begins the book with a quote: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some, they circle with the tide. For others, they sail forever on the horizon… That is the life of men” (1). These “ships” symbolize a person’s goals and wishes in life. The journey to chase and obtain these ambitions is exciting and unpredictable. Similar to Janie’s journey, there will be struggles along the way. However, one can continue their journey and learn from their experiences. In life, there are many complications and harsh experiences. Some people have more of these memories than others. Janie views her eventful life as “a great tree in leaf with things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom were in the branches” (8). Janie has many pleasant and horrible memories and experiences. From the horrific incidents, she learns more about herself and what she truly needs. These memories make her a stronger, independent woman. We, the readers, can learn from Janie and apply her knowledge to our everyday lives.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells about the life of Janie Crawford. Janie’s mother, who suffers a tragic moment in her life, resulting in a mental breakdown, is left for her grandmother to take care of her. Throughout Janie’s life, she comes across several different men, all of which end in a horrible way. All the men that Janie married had a different perception of marriage. After the third husband, Janie finally returns to her home. It is at a belief that Janie is seeking someone who she can truly love, and not someone her grandmother chooses for her. Although Janie eventually lives a humble life, Janie’s quest is questionable.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hurston's They Eyes Were Watching God

    2177 Words  | 5 Pages

    It’s no wonder that “[t]he hurricane scene in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a famous one and [that] other writers have used it in an effort to signify on Hurston” (Mills, “Hurston”). The final, climactic portion of this scene acts as the central metaphor of the novel and illustrates the pivotal interactions that Janie, the protagonist, has with her Nanny and each of her three husbands. In each relationship, Janie tries to “’go tuh God, and…find out about livin’ fuh [herself]’” (192). She does this by approaching each surrogate parental figure as one would go to God, the Father; she offers her faith and obedience to them and receives their definitions of love and protection in return. When they threaten to annihilate and hush her with these definitions, however, she uses her voice and fights to save her dream and her life. Hurston shows how Janie’s parental figures transform into metaphorical hurricanes, how a literal hurricane transforms into a metaphorical representation of Janie’s parental figures, and how Janie survives all five hurricanes.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Are Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    People are constantly searching for their voices. A voice gives someone independence and the ability to make her own decision. The First Amendment ensures that all United States citizens possess the freedom of speech; however, not all people are given the ability or opportunity to exercise that right. When a person has no voice they rely on others to make their decisions. Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Are Watching God, Janie constantly struggles to find her voice. Her marriage to Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake help her discover and utilize her voice in different ways. During Janie’s first marriage to Logan she has no voice, Joe silences Janie’s tiniest whisper and controls her similar to a slave; in contrast to Logan and Joe, Tea Cake encourages Janie to use her voice and make her own decisions. Janie cannot express her voice until she discovers happiness and independence through her final marriage.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    The late first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Hate and force cannot be in just one part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it." Mrs. Roosevelt means that although one person may feel alone through the hardships one faces, one has millions beside oneself who can relate to and understand what one may feel. Zora Neale Hurston shows that even though Janie's family and spouses continue to be abusive and harsh toward Janie, their hate and control left her stronger than before, preparing her for the next challenges thrown at her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the deaths of close relatives and family positively affect Janie because she tends to become more educated and wiser with each death she overcomes in the obstacles she calls her life. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is positively affected by Joe Stark's death because she finally feels free of all control.

    Read More

  • The Life of American Women in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hurston masterfully utilizes four basic Southern literary elements to illustrate the plight of a woman that achieved self-expression and independence in the 1930’s: narrative language, allegory, and symbolism. The combination of the three elements utilized by Hurston in her novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” bring about a much greater theme of the story—self-expression and independence. Throughout the book, Janie is faced with many trials and tribulations on the road to achieve her ideal life. But everything throughout her journey happened for a reason for her to learn from and keep pushing. She finally got her ideal relationship with Tea Cake.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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,” (11). The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching, God by Zora Neale Hurston, tells a story of a woman, Janie Crawford’s quest to find her true identity that takes her on a journey and back in which she finally comes to learn who she is. These lessons of love and life that Janie comes to attain about herself are endowed from the relationships she has with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.

    Read More

  • The Men of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the reader is given a particular glimpse into Janie's life with reference to the men she has known.  Janie's three men are all very different, yet they were all Janie's husband at one point in her life.  Although they all behaved differently, in lifestyle as well as their relationship with Janie, they all shared certain similarities.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hurston Imagery

    351 Words  | 1 Pages

    Relationships force individuals to sacrifice some of their aspirations and ideals which leads to emotional wounds. Zora Neale Hurston uses an extended metaphor with symbolic images to expose the internal conflicts that arise from complications within relationships. Hurston constantly refers back to a vision of a blossoming tree to develop a symbol of Janie’s life, focusing on love. The author says: “The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, . . .” (Hurston 83). This image is used to illustrate the power of a new relationship in Janie’s life. Her soon to be husband, Logan, will damage her tree. By including this metaphor, the author simplifies the abstract concept of love to an image that is seen in day to day life. As the reader follows Janie, he or she is able to understand her feelings through the symbol of the tree.

    Read More

  • Janie’s Learning Experiences in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches" (8). When Janie was a teenager, she used to sit under the pear tree and dream about being a tree in bloom. She longs for something more. When she is 16, she kisses Johnny Taylor to see if this is what she looks for. Nanny sees her kiss him, and says that Janie is now a woman. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie, the main character, is involved in three very different relationships. Zora Neale Hurston, the author, explains how Janie learns some valuable lessons about marriage, integrity, and love and happiness from her relationships with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.

    Read More

  • Facing Inner Conflict in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford, the protagonist, constantly faces the inner conflicts she has against herself. Throughout a lot of her life, Janie is controlled, whether it be by her Nanny or by her husbands, Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. Her outspoken attitude is quickly silenced and soon she becomes nothing more than a trophy, only meant to help her second husband, Joe Starks, achieve power. With time, she no longer attempts to stand up to Joe and make her own decisions. Janie changes a lot from the young girl laying underneath a cotton tree at the beginning of her story. Not only is she not herself, she finds herself aging and unhappy with her life. Joe’s death become the turning point it takes to lead to the resolution of her story which illustrates that others cannot determine who you are, it takes finding your own voice and gaining independence to become yourself and find those who accept you.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zora Hurston was an African American proto-feminist author who lived during a time when both African Americans and women were not treated equally. Hurston channeled her thirst for women’s dependence from men into her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. One of the many underlying themes in her book is feminism. Zora Hurston, the author of the book, uses Janie to represent aspects of feminism in her book as well as each relationship Janie had to represent her moving closer towards her independence.

    Read More

  • Janie’s Courageous Voice in Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through her use of southern black language Zora Neale Hurston illustrates how to live and learn from life’s experiences. Janie, the main character in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a woman who defies what people expect of her and lives her life searching to become a better person. Not easily satisfied with material gain, Janie quickly jumps into a search to find true happiness and love in life. She finally achieves what she has searched for with her third marriage.

    Read More

  • God and Transcendentalism in Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book revolves around one particular idea that God is nature and we should live close to nature, for it is our greatest teacher, and it is once again God. There is this idea in the book that God can manifest through nature, like when Janie was under the fruit tree, in nature, and was finally able to get her thoughts together, figuratively through God (11). Also in the text, Teacake, Janie and Motorboat were watching the hurricane up in the sky. The text directly restated the title, “Their eyes were watching God,” directly implying that the hurricane, a representation of nature, is God himself. This same hurricane puts the three through havoc and nearly kills them; also implying that it is God, himself, only this time, indirectly.

    Read More

  • Janie and the Pear Tree in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the image of a pear tree reverberates throughout the novel. The pear tree is not only a representation of Janie's life - blossoming, death, metamorphosis, and rebirth - but also the spark of curiosity that sets Janie on her quest for self-discovery. Janie is essentially "rootless" at the beginning of her life, never having known her mother or father and having been raised by her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny even says to Janie, "Us colored folks is branches without roots and that makes things come round in queer ways" (Hurston, 16). Under a pear tree in Nanny's backyard, however, Janie, as a naïve sixteen-year-old, finds the possibilities of love, sexuality, and identity that are available to her. This image, forever reverberating in her mind through two unsuccessful marriages to Logan Killicks and Joe Starks, is what keeps Janie's spirit alive and encourages her quest for love and life. "It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep" (10).

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zola Neale Hurston

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love is different for each and every person. For some, it comes easy and happens early in life. For others, such as Janie Mae Crawford, in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, it happened much later in life. Oddly, after two failed marriages. Janie sought love in several different men and marriages, hoping to find true love; however, she was often left with abuse, hardship, and a broken-heart. As stated by Hoffman “Well, I think everyone struggles with self-love.” Amour Propre¹ Love for one’s parents is honorable, love for one’s child is unconditional, but self-love is often denied. Loving ourselves isn’t a one-time event. It’s an endless, moment by moment ongoing process. It wasn’t until Janie found self-love that she discovered confidence, peace, and fulfillment. Her finding of self-love helped her understand freedom and self-worth.

    Read More

More about Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neil Hurston

Open Document