Violence in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God
Several scenes from Seraph on the Suwanee parallel scenes from Their Eyes Were Watching God. The scene beginning “The gun came up…” on page 183 of Their Eyes Were Watching God and ending “…pried the dead Tea Cake’s teeth from her arm” on page 184 echoes the scene in Seraph on the Suwanee beginning “She flung her hands up…” on page 145 and ending “ ‘…just as fast as you can’” on page 146. The premise for each scene is identical. The prime female character is forced to defend herself from a close male family member who has gone mad and is threatening her life. Even in the face of death, she is primarily concerned with his well-being and becomes the only person to set him free.
The beginnings of both scenes are strikingly similar. In Their Eyes…, “The gun came up unsteadily but quickly and leveled at Janie’s breast.” In Seraph…, upon becoming aware of the axe in Earl’s hand, Arvay “flung her hands up to her breast.” Right away, the focus of violence is drawn to the female form, symbolized by the breast. However, the first thought to cross Janie’s mind with a gun to her chest is “even in [Tea Cake’s] delirium he took good aim.” She finds praise for him no matter what he does. Even while he is threatening her life, she automatically compliments him, then excuses his actions—“Maybe he would point to scare her, that was all.” It is obvious that the women are in positions where they must escape in order to survive. The phrase “for dear life” appears in Seraph as “fear for her life” appears in Their Eyes. Arvay must turn the lights off “so that she could not be so easily seen and make her escape” while “instinctively Janie’s hand flew behind her on the ri...
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...ive if Tea Cake were to kill Janie and it is the same with Earl and Arvay. Both men must be stopped, and death, not the women’s adoration or forgiveness, becomes the only way.
Hurston’s view of a very male-centered, almost male-worshipping society, is highly reflected in Janie’s and Arvay’s relationships with and attitudes towards Tea Cake and Earl. Everything the women do seems to be for the men and they push their own needs completely aside. The men’s utter disregard and total evil and violence towards the women starkly contrast the women’s undying devotion and love for the men. Up to the point of being killed by the men, the women stand strong by them, in support of them, and in order to help them, when it is exactly the opposite of what the men are doing for the women. The repetition of the violence scene in Their Eyes and Seraph reinforces Hurston’s view.
The first chapter focuses on Brazil’s founding and history up until present. When the Portuguese were blown off course to Asia onto the coasts of Brazil in 1500, the Portuguese knew they had found a land filled with opportunities. The main attraction was the abundance of brazilwood which could be used for manufacturing luxurious fabrics in Europe. Over the centuries, exploration led to the discovery of more resources such as sugar, coffee, and precious metals that had made it a sought after country for colonization. Even to this day, Brazil maintains the image of a land with limitless resources since the recent discovery of oil and gas reserves and other commodities.
Woman’s Search for Identity in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is, among other things, a creation story. For creation stories are not simply myths about the historical origins of the universe and humankind but metaphors for individual maturation. Individual perception is, to a large extent, what constitutes the world. Hence, the individual is the source and embodiment of the world; Janie is, the narrator tells us, “the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop” (72). And Janie’s awakening, or maturation, represents not only a personal transformation, but the creation of a universe. As a child seeking meaning, Janie does not look forward to merely “growing up” but waits “for the world to be made” (11). Obviously the narrator does not mean the material world, but that particular world which comes into being with the mature individual. And as a creation story, Their Eyes, like the creation stories which precede it, deals with “the reconciliation of mind to the conditions of life”—to the inherent violence of living.
When initially introduced to the reader in Hurston’s novel, Janie’s physical features, especially her womanly physique, are thoroughly highlighted. This focus is representative of the common “objectification of women, who are seen for little more than their physical attributes” (Caldwell 1-8). Also, Janie’s very strong-willed and confident nature is revealed when being introduced to the reader. The author says, “But nobody moved, nobody spoke, nobody even thought to swallow spit until after her gate slammed behind her”, showing the astonishment of the people of Eatonville and the rarity of such nature of women (Hurston 2). Janie’s character develops into this independent and self-assertive woman from a very confined, submissive girl who was not willing to voice her own opinion (Rider 1-3). The general weakness of women of the time is symbolized through Janie’s very opinionated nature, but her hesitance as a young woman to voice those opinions in fear of those who would disagree with them and denigrate her for th...
“She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight,” (11). The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching, God by Zora Neale Hurston, tells a story of a woman, Janie Crawford’s quest to find her true identity that takes her on a journey and back in which she finally comes to learn who she is. These lessons of love and life that Janie comes to attain about herself are endowed from the relationships she has with Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake.
In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, by Zora Neale Hurston there were many contrasting places that were used to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of this work.
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the character of Janie Crawford experiences severe ideological conflicts with her grandmother, and the effects of these conflicts are far-reaching indeed. Hurston’s novel of manners, noted for its exploration of the black female experience, fully shows how a conflict with one’s elders can alter one’s self image. In the case of Janie and Nanny, it is Janie’s perception of men that is altered, as well as her perception of self. The conflict between the two women is largely generational in nature, and appears heart-breakingly inevitable.
Sharma, Arvind (ND) The Hindu Tradition Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions. Retrieved on January 17, 2013 from http://www.academia.edu/1774717/Religious_Beliefs_and_Healthcare_Decisions_The_Hindu_Tradition
“You may shoot me with your words,/ You may cut me with your eyes,/ You may kill me with your hatefulness,/ But still, like air, I’ll rise.” were the words written by Maya Angelou in her famous poem “Still I Rise”(Poets.org). She felt the need to express her life motives to the world and hopefully be able to convince others to follow this ideology. These very same words can be reflected in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, where a round character, named Janie Crawford, yearns to live her dreams, but is trapped by life obstacles that try to bring her down. She had to suffer deeply for most of her lifetime in order to break the chains of expectations from others. Throughout Janie’s life she always fought the expectations put on her by Nanny, her husbands, and
Tea Cake's death strains Janie emotionally. It takes a lot of bravery and courage for Janie to make such a tragic decision. Should she go with her heart, to not kill the love of her life? Her other choice is to go with her head. Should she kill an insane person who is trying to kill her first? Many times, a hero is encountered with such a life or death decision similar to Janie's.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
Hurston describes Eatonville not in a negative way, but more as a place that is not beneficial to an independent woman like Janie. Janie Starks, the wife of the mayor, is sentenced to spend her days as a worker in the town store, hair tied up, and silent. She must deal with money and figures without being able to enjoy the “lying sessions” on the porch, or attending such impressive town events like the “muleogy.” To the reader, Eatonville represents all that is repressive in life. Janie’s nature is restricted not by the town itself, but by her status in the town.
Religion and spirituality is a major essential part of one’s’ health. They have included things such as prayer in healing, counseling, and the use of meditation. Spiritual issues make a difference in an individual’s experience of illness and health. With spirituality, the health care providers can learn to support the values for the art of healing. The health care provider must have respect for their patient’s religion. (Larry Dossey. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Harper Collins, San Francisco. 1993.)
Conclusion: Brazil with the rest of the BRIC nations have a long way to go before their current economic development translates into benefits for the majority of the population. Fortunately, Brazil has great strengths. Thanks to its efficient and entrepreneurial farmers, it is the world’s third-biggest food exporter. Even if the government has made the process slower and costlier than it needed to be, Brazil will be a big oil exporter by 2020. It has several manufacturing jewels, and is developing a world-class research base in biotechnology, genetic sciences and deep-sea oil and gas technology. The consumer brands that have grown along with the country’s expanding middle class are ready to go abroad. Despite the recent protests, it does not have the social or ethnic divisions that blight other emerging economies, such as India or Turkey.
As a nurse, she hopes to become more cultured in the different beliefs of others in order to truly care for her patients in the best way. Having an understanding of what gives her strength, however, will allow her to perhaps offer guidance to those who feel lost or even pray with those who find peace in religion. Though she may not always understand the practices of others, she knows that spirituality has the power to truly help heal those in need and she plans to respect all practices and only intervene if the practices seem detrimental to the health of the patient or