John Dysart's Their Eyes Were Watching God

Theme: There are, as expected, numerous themes in the story. One Such being the theme of normalcy; what is normal? To dysart normal is waking up and each day trying to decipher the minds of kids deemed unfit for society. Our idea of normal is quite distinct then his, as we don't even think of his profession as anything normal let alone his idea of a normal day. This right away there is a conflicting stance of this hurman construction. Furthermore, Dysart has devoted his life to helping these kids achieve a sense of normality. And he attempts to do the same for Alan but fails as he in turn realizes that what ALan does, his mean of worship, are his own. This even makes Dysart doubt the helpfulness of his career, whether he is really helping

He worships Equus as his god, drawing parallels between him and Jesus and insisting that he wears chains to pay for humanity's sins. This unique religion is what gives Alan his sense of self and passion, and Dysart says that to take away a person's worship, in this case Alan’s passion, is the worst thing someone could possibly do. Dysart himself wishes he could feel such a strong religious calling and in that regard such a passion, and he is fascinated by the Ancient Greeks, who saw small, individual gods in everything. In many ways, Equus provides examples of unconventional means of worship that are just as important as conventional religions. Sexuality is another theme repeated in the play. As a seventeen-year-old, Alan is attempting to balance his budding sexual desires with his strong will to please his god, Equus. It gets even weirder when Alan begins to think of Equus in a sexual manner, getting excited by the sight of his skin and describing him in vivid detail. He describes his moments with horses with sexual excitement; even climaxing during their nightly rides, which sets up an intimacy between the two that make it all the more blasphemous when he attempts to sleep with Jill. Thus Jill serves as a test for Alan to see if he can channel his sexuality down a normal path, but in the end, he