Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

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Growing up is simply part of life. Obstacles are place in our way and are completely up to us to overcome them. A buildungsroman can be described as a novel where the protagonist grows as a person psychologically or as a “coming of age” story. Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston is an exemplary example of a buildungsroman. In this novel, Janie, the main character, through three marriages illustrates well the transition from childhood through adulthood by experiencing all sorts of obstacles. Janie not only understands life happening in her surroundings but also within herself. Janie Crawford from the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, is the perfect example of a buildungsroman because she shows an internal growth after her experiences with her marriages to Logan Killicks, JoeSparks, and Vergible Woods.
Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks as well as the events leading up to it very well explain Janie’s confusion and lack of maturity. At a very young age Janie had already experiences a lack of identity. After being raised by the Washburn’s for a majority of her childhood, Janie held little experience with dealing with the outside world when it came to her race. “Den dey all laughed real hard. But before Ah seen de picture Ah thought Ah wuz just like the rest” (Hurston 9) shows her astonishment after finding out that she was colored definitely showed that this shelter life had impacted her life. It is important to point out the significance the symbolism of the pear tree because it signifies an important step of Janie’s early life. The quote “Oh to be a pear tree- any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world!” underlines Janie’s early development into adoles...

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...a new view from Janie. She has finally realized her path that she has taken and why things has happened the way they did. Her strong connection with God she built throughout her years helped her overcome her issues and become a better person.
Janie Crawford from Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God experiences exponential moral growth in this well written example of a buildungsroman. In the beginning of the book, Janie starts questioning her fate and why things happen the way they are. It is not until her experiences with her husbands that she later realizes that it is just part of life and that to reach your horizon you have to cross hills and valleys, and along that path you gain precious personal assets that make you stronger.

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. Print.

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