Janie's Self-Discovery through Symbolism Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama on January 7, 1891. "In 1937, she published her masterwork of fiction, Their Eyes Were Watching God (A&E Television Networks 2). Zora was a very energetic woman, she was so eager to learn even though she did not finish high school, but she prepared for college and got accepted to Howard University. She published her book Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story of a young girl named Janie looking for love and happiness in the south. "The book was criticized at the time, especially by black male writers, who condemned Hurston for not taking a political stand and demonstrating the ill effects of racism" (History 3). Zora was a very talented woman, she was given the scholarship to study anthropology at Barnard College, and she became the school's first known African American graduate in 1928. "Anthropologist and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston was the most prolific Black woman writer in the USA between 1920 and 1950; the foremother of a But Returning back to the Everglades Tea Cake starts getting sick. It resulted that he gets rabies after being bit by the dog during the hurricane. Tea Cake gets really sick, that the doctor tells Janie he has no chance to recover. "Tea Cake you'se sick" (Hurston 182). Tea Cake got really sick, Janie started to get scared of him. She had no idea what was going on through Tea Cake's head but she was scared. "And she was beginning to feel fear of this strange thing in Tea Cake's body" (Hurston 182"). Tea Cake was turning really sick, and he needed to get checked out by a doctor ASAP. He had foam dripping out his mouth, his brain stopped working, he was getting worse, and worse. Tea Cake eventually died, and was buried by Janie in Palm Beach, Florida. "She wanted him out of the way of storms, so she had a strong vault built in the cemetery at West Palm Beach" (Hurston 189). Janie lived to tell her
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Harper Perennial Modern Classics: Reissue Edition 2013
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.
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga Alabama on, January 7, 1891. When she was a little girl her family moved to the now iconic town of Eatonville Florida. She was fifth child of eight of John Hurston and Lucy Ann Hurston. Eatonville was one of the first all-black towns to be established in the United States. Zora’s interest in literature was piqued when a couple of northern teachers, came to Eatonville and gave her books of folklore and fantasy. After her mother died, her father and new stepmother sent her to a boarding school. In 1918 Hurston began her undergraduate studies at Howard...
When Janie is with Tea Cake she feels complete in all aspects of life, and feels no need to depend on anyone else but him. When Tea Cake passes away we see Janie almost dependent soley upon herself, but she still confides in her best friend Pheoby when she returns
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a good place to start examining the roles of African-American women. It is written by a woman, Zora Neale Hurston, and from a woman's perspective. This book examines the relationship between Janie and...
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is about a young woman that is lost in her own world. She longs to be a part of something and to have “a great journey to the horizons in search of people” (85). Janie Crawford’s journey to the horizon is told as a story to her best friend Phoebe. She experiences three marriages and three communities that “represent increasingly wide circles of experience and opportunities for expression of personal choice” (Crabtree). Their Eyes Were Watching God is an important fiction piece that explores relations throughout black communities and families. It also examines different issues such as, gender and class and these issues bring forth the theme of voice. In Janie’s attempt to find herself, she grows into a stronger woman through three marriages.
Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, and short story writer and is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston grew up in one of America’s first all-black communities. Growing up in this unique community gave her a sense of independence, freedom and boldness that many African-Americans, especially females, did not have during this time. Growing up in that community distinguished her from other writers of her time, and it is clearly reflected in her work. Hurston wrote many short stories, plays, essays and four published novels. Of all of the works she published and accomplishments she had, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This novel tells the story of Janie Crawford a young African-American girl growing up in
Zora Neale Hurston was a genius whose writing career went unnoticed while she was living. Hurston was an American folklorist, novelist and anthropologist. She wrote four novels , more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays. During the time she was active, Hurston was taken for granted and her work was criticized over the top. Although she didn’t see it while she was alive, her works of writing became famous and international. After Hurston’s death, her career was not only recognized but influential to writers in present day. “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is one of Hurston’s most famous novels and has various editions to it. Her personal life in quite a few ways was reflected through the main character “Janie Crawford”, which makes the novel so much more intriguing. Hurston better known as “The Genius of the South” created a legacy that will never be erased.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1937.
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.
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.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1990.
This excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were watching God, is an example of her amazing writing. She makes us feel as if we are actually in her book, through her use of the Southern Black vernacular and admirable description. Her characters are realistic and she places special, well thought out sentences to keep us interested. Zora Neale Hurston’s art enables her to write this engaging story about a Southern black woman’s life.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes were watching God: a novel. New York: Perennial Library, 1937. Print.
The history of slavery and the oppression as a result thereof continues to linger within contemporary society. Colored women in the slave culture particularly felt the brunt of the social injustice against black people in the African American culture. Confining domestic tasks, sexual abuses and abuse in general left them in the savage web of oppression and of the oppressor. Zora Neale Hurston's Their eyes were watching God explores the effects that slavery has on women and the generational effects thereafter. Janie recounts the reasons of her absence in the community to her best friend Phoebe after Phoebe informs her that community members have been speculating about where she has been. Janie Crawford is raised by her grandmother who forces