Characters, Themes and Imagery in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston was one of the first widely acclaimed black writers to "assimilate folk tradition into modern literature and express her interpretations of the black culture throughout her books" (Bailey, 175). She was also one of the most influential of black American writers during the twentieth century because she exceeded the barriers of race, sex and poverty. Hurston's most acclaimed work is said to be Their Eyes Were Watching God, and has been read, adored, rejected, reviewed, and badgered by many literary critics. "In a book rich with imagery and black oral tradition, Zora Neale Hurston tells us of a woman's journey that gives the lie to Freud's assertion that 'the difficult development which leads to femininity seems to exhaust all the possibilities of the individual'" (Morgan, 163). In this as well as in other of her writings, Hurston expresses many of her opinions of race relations, sexism, and classism through her characters, themes and imagery.
The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God focuses on a character named Janie who is raised by her grandmother on a white plantation in Georgia, and until seeing a photograph of herself, she has always assumed that she is white. She loves her grandmother, but after her grandmother's death, she realizes that she resents her as well. Her grandmother has been strict with her and has taught her that love is obtained only through marriage. Janie feels that her grandmother has taken all of her dreams away. Although she is independent, Janie marries three times. Because of her grandmother she marries Logan Killicks, who works Janie so hard that she decides to leave. Then she meets Joe Star...
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...ir Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2008. Print.
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On the surface, Reb does represent the Old World, and Sara the New, but despite their being on opposite ends of the spectrum, they are remarkably similar characters: both believe in their own versions of the American Dream. Reb insists on leaving behind most of the family’s possessions because America is a “golden country, where milk and honey flow free in the streets” (9). The only possessions that are necessary are his books, “the light of the world” (9).
Zora Neale was an early 20th century American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. In her best known novel Their eyes were watching God, Hurston integrated her own first-hand knowledge of African American oral culture into her characters dialogue and the novels descriptive passages. By combing folklore, folk language and traditional literary techniques; Hurston created a truly unique literary voice and viewpoint. Zora Neale Hurston's underlying theme of self-expression and search for one’s independence was truly revolutionary for its time. She explored marginal issues ahead of her time using the oral tradition to explore contentious debates. In this essay I will explore Hurston narrative in her depiction of biblical imagery, oppression of African women and her use of colloquial dialect.
The Web. 22 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Hurston, Zora. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
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This paper examines the drastic differences in literary themes and styles of Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston, two African--American writers from the early 1900's. The portrayals of African-American women by each author are contrasted based on specific examples from their two most prominent novels, Native Son by Wright, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Hurston. With the intent to explain this divergence, the autobiographies of both authors (Black Boy and Dust Tracks on a Road) are also analyzed. Particular examples from the lives of each author are cited to demonstrate the contrasting lifestyles and experiences that created these disparities, drawing parallels between the authors’ lives and creative endeavors. It becomes apparent that Wright's traumatic experiences involving females and Hurston's identity as a strong, independent and successful Black artist contributed significantly to the ways in which they chose to depict African-American women and what goals they adhered to in reaching and touching a specific audience with the messages contained in their writing.
Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1937. Print.
Kempe, Margery. "From The Book of Margery Kempe." The Norton Anthology of Literature By Women. 2nd ed. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996. 18-24.
The New Deal was a set of acts that effectively gave Americans a new sense of hope after the Great Depression. The New Deal advocated for women’s rights, worked towards ending discrimination in the workplace, offered various jobs to African Americans, and employed millions through new relief programs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), made it his duty to ensure that something was being done. This helped restore the public's confidence and showed that relief was possible. The New Deal helped serve American’s interest, specifically helping women, african american, and the unemployed and proved to them that something was being done to help them.
Throughout the 19th century slavery was prevalent in the United States. African Americans were treated harshly and unequally and struggled tremendously to achieve social and political equality. The North and South fought back and fourth about free and slave territories which eventually led to the civil war. Harriet Tubman was an African American woman born into slavery. She was an abolitionist,humanitarian and Union spy, who desperately believed that all slaves should be free. Tubman took extreme risks in trying to get slaves to safety through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman’s contributions as the conductor of the Underground Railroad and her role in the Civil War had crucial influence in the emancipation of slaves. Her perseverance helped lead to social equality between Whites and African Americans and changed the history of the United States. Harriet Tubman was an American icon who’s bravery and heroic actions led to great impacts throughout America.
Racine, Maria J. "African American Review." Voice and Interiority in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God 28.2 (1994): 283-92. Jstor. Black's Women Culture Issue, Summer 1994. Web. Dec. 2013.
Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " 'Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God." Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
———. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 2006. Reprint, New York: Harper Perennial: Modern Classics, 1937.
There were several reasons for the rebellion in Lower Canada that included the agricultural crisis, immigration and the British America Land Company. The first cause of importance was the agricultural crisis that was "caused by the very low production of wheat due to the cold weather, the wheat fly epidemic and the fact that the land had been harvested from the beginning of the century". " The low amount of wheat caused the cost of living to soar and left many people staving and without their homes because they were unable to pay their creditors or their rent." This infuriated the French assembly because the funds that could be used to improve the conditions of the French people were being divided amo...