Symbolism In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

All novels contain symbolism in one shape or form and the words written on the page often mask a deeper meaning beneath them. Usually, there is an assortment of symbols disguised by a literal meaning that blend in with the scene. Symbols frequently come in the form of nature. Nature, generally being in the background of a scene, becomes more prominent when it is meant to be identified as a symbol. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the symbolism in nature is recurrent throughout the novel. It indicates turning points and track the growth of the main character, Janie’s, coming-of-age. This is portrayed through the changing of the seasons and various correspondents. In this way, it can be seen that not all events affect Janie

For this duration of her life, there is little that furthers Janie’s development as an individual. The extent of her growth is learning that marriage does not always produce, and is not always a product of, love. The fact that she had “waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time” for something to become of her own marriage only adds to her lack of development (Hurston 25). She waited an entire year before she realized that her expectations would not be fulfilled. For that reason, Janie’s youth has ended and the death of the blossoms represents her transition into womanhood. However, her confinement to Logan’s farm prevents her from experiencing the rest of the world; experiences that would continue to shape her into a woman. In this sense, Janie has entered a prolonged period of winter. She is like a seed in the ground, waiting for the frost to thaw so she can sprout and blossom once more. Supporting this idea is the fact that seeds--rather than just dead petals--are falling to the ground suggests that there will be another springtime for Janie, and this time of her life is in preparation of that. Janie believes that she is approaching her next springtime when Joe Starks appears, for she considers him to be a possible “bee for her bloom” (32). However,

The seventeen years Janie spent with Joe was an extended stretch of winter. That being the case, Joe’s death is what marked the end of that harsh winter. For a short duration after Joe’s passing, Janie feels as if she has been reborn and promptly adapts to her newfound freedom from her tyrannical husband. This time of “resurrection and life” indicates another shift in the seasons, this one changing between winter and spring (Hurston 88). Tea Cake arrives in Eatonville after Joe has died, so Janie is already in her mid-spring. After her time with Joe, it is shown that Janie has matured because of her doubt towards Tea Cake’s intentions, rather than believing him because he claims to be in love with her. When Janie does run off with Tea Cake to the Everglades, she spends an entire year there and all is fairly peaceful. Then, the storm makes an appearance. Hurricane season begins in the late spring to early summer, depending on the region. Despite her being in a “springtime” with Tea Cake, the seasons still begin to change. This means that whatever Janie has with Tea Cake will not last. However, rather than making a full cycle through the seasons, Janie will remain in her summertime. What Janie felt for Tea Cake was more legitimate than what she thought she felt for Joe, and therefore she will