Their Eyes Were Watching God, By Zora Neale Hurston Essay

Three women. Two out of the three were slaves for several decades and was able to obtain their freedom before the Civil War. The third woman, however, was never a slave since they were around after the Civil War. First, Sojourner Truth was born into slavery, later leaving her master in 1926 before she was legally emancipated in 1927 by the law of New York (Gates 245). Truth was also a Civil Rights and Women’s Rights activist (Gates 245). Next, Elizabeth Keckley, who was also born into slavery and stayed enslaved for over 30 years (Gates 365). After she had legally bought her and her son’s freedom, Keckley had established herself as a dressmaker and provide service to political figures, such as Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis (Gates 365). Lastly, is the author, Zora Neale Hurston, who had written Their Eyes Were Watching God and Mules and Men (Gates 1019). In Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist, Janie Crawford, undergoes a jou rney of self-discovery while overcoming obstacles. Truth was fighting for equal rights for women, while in Keckley’s text, she informs people of her years as a slave, the purchasing of her freedom, and her time at the White House. Therefore, between Truth and Janie there is an overlapping attitude of gender differences amongst men and women which can cause male dominance, whereas with Janie and Keckley, the overlap occurs in their struggle for freedom and the experience of being married then leaving one’s spouse.Show MoreRelatedTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston988 Words   |  4 PagesZora 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 t o represent aspects of feminism in her book as well as each relationship Janie had to represent her moving closer towards her independenceRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pages In â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† by Zora Neale Hurston, as well as in modern times, there are many struggles surrounding gender, social class, and race. Throughout the entirety of this novel, Hurston describes every aspect of Janie’s life, in an attempt to show how young girls are transformed into women. Hurston did not describe the physical transformation, but instead tackled the much more complicated mental transformation. At the beginning of the novel, the reader is greeted with a seeminglyRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston Essay1688 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American women to have their own voice and independence has been an ongoing conflict. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie struggles a majority of her life discovering her own voice by challenging many traditional roles that are set by society during this time. Hongzhi Wu, the author of â€Å"Mules and Women: Identify and Rebel—Janie’s Identity Quest in ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God,’† recognizes the trend of African American women being suppressed by making a comparison betweenRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1651 Words   |  7 Pagesgender has had their individual struggles. Zora Neale Hurston portrays this with exquisite clarity in the novel â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† sometimes using the imagery of anim als to explain the hardships and adversity that African Americans had to overcome. She perfectly exemplifies how black woman in particular were treated as opposed to black men and what the expectations were that society had for them both. The novel their eyes were watching god takes place during the reconstruction era ofRead MoreThe Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston925 Words   |  4 PagesMany times when I read a piece of literature, I immediately look for the first signs of symbolism. I analyze that particular symbol and how I believe it is to be presented throughout the narrative. In the case of Their Eyes Were Watching God, I recognized that Janie’s hair would have a significant place in the themes of the novel. Within the opening paragraphs, Janie stares at herself in a picture and her identity arises from her hair â€Å"seen it was mah dress and mah hair† Her identity then shiftsRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1459 Words   |  6 Pages 1. In â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† by Zora Neale Hurston, the main character Janie Crawford experiences many different kinds of love. Throughout her childhood, Janie experienced protective love from her grandmother. When Janie reached the ripe age of 16, her grandmother wanted her to get married. Because of this, she ended up marrying her first husband, Logan Killicks. Just like she did when she was with her grandmother, Janie was the receiver of protective love from her husband. The next typeRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching god, by Zora Neale Hurston1054 Words   |  5 Pageswalk. Compare an idea to an image. Exaggerate a concept. Each person has a different poetic style, and each poetic style uses different poetic techniques: personification, simile, hyperbole, imagery, or irony. Zora Neale Hurston reveals her unique poetic style through Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story of Janie Crawford and her journey to finding unconditional, true love. Her journey begins with an arranged marriage to Logan Killicks, a physically unappealing man with a considerable house, to anRead MoreThe Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1595 Words   |  7 PagesJanie the Feminist The novel â€Å"The Eyes Were Watching God† by Zora Neale Hurston takes place in the Harlem Renaissance period where African American culture exploded in the United States. Slavery has been abolished which gives more rights to black men, leaving women to fill the position as a modern slave. This was a period of such suppression of woman that they were treated as if they were brainless property, much like slaves. Janie refuses to succumb to society s standards of how woman shouldRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1249 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"I’m a woman†¦Phenomenal woman, that’s me.† This quote from Maya Angelou’s poem â€Å"Phenomenal Woman† characterizes the common theme between the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the speech, â€Å"Ain’t I a Woman†, by Sojourner Truth, and â€Å"Phenomenal Woman†. The common theme between these three different pieces is the i dea of a strong, independent woman, which ties into feminism and the concept of being equal to men. Even though these three pieces are each diverse genres, they areRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston1078 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel, Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston there are many hidden symbols. The most important and strongest is the horizon, a glorious symbol portraying Janie’s dream, a lifelong search for true love and happiness. The horizon is created through Janie’s tough experiences seeking to find the future. Hurston suggests, She searched as much of the world she could and leaned over to gaze up and down the road. Looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world