Why Does Hurston Believe In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston’s novel was initially met with mixed reviews. While many lauded the book for its rich prose and complex characters, others, particularly her own Afro-American contemporaries, derided it, criticizing its lack of political commentary and her use of common vernacular. Fellow scholar and playwright Richard Wright gave a notably harsh review, claiming that the novels carries “no theme, no message, no thought,” then comparing the book to a minstrel show meant to appease the white audience. According to Wright, Hurston’s characters carry no political weight and instead “swing like a pendulum” in a “safe… orbit… between laughter and tears.” In her own lifetime, Hurston’s novels never sold well, and Their Eyes were Watching God, while noted by many initially for the story’s “warm, vibrant touch,” the public never took much interest in the book. When
Hurston died in 1959, she died broke and her novels remained largely unknown. However, as America entered the latter half of the 20th century, the legacy of the book pivoted towards mass critical acclaim, for a number of reasons. As both the Civil Rights and the modern feminist movement erupted this era, the later generations began to link the personal and the political together, developing interest not just in societal narratives but individual ones as well.
The book’s turning point came in 1975 when Alice Walker published an article on Hurston on Ms. magazine titled “Looking for Zora”, renewing interest into Hurston’s works. Walker, who wrote the Pultizer Prize winning The Color Purple, attributed her greatest source of inspiration to Hurston and Their Eyes in particular, claiming, “there is no book more important to me than this one.” Today, the book is hailed as a modern classic for two reasons: first, since there were very few novels written by Afro-American women in this era, it holds great cultural and historical significance. But on a deeper level, it is impossible not to feel personally affected by the book. Its countless dichotomies and ambiguities leave it open to translation, but the influence of the novel also extends beyond mere interpretation; while Hurston’s own life bears significance in the creation of the novel, how one reads Their Eyes says a lot more about the reader than the writer. The book does not consist of one sweeping universal message, rather, it asks many universal questions, which ultimately force the reader not only to examine the novel, but also their own personal beliefs on topics such as the relationship between love and freedom, the significance vocalization, and the achievability of happiness. Hurston’s novel has endured the test of time because the nuanced values woven into Janie’s character and life transcend beyond the circumstances of Hurston’s era.
While Their Eyes were Watching God is notedly a work of fiction, it captures the reality of human thought and emotion.
Richard Wright wrote that the characters of Hurston’s novel “live… between laughter and tears” as if it were a weakness— but as is seen time and time again, that humanity in the characters is perhaps the novel’s greatest strength. Their Eyes were Watching God serves as a testament to the power of books: one writer’s perspective molds the eyes of the characters, characters who, through a masterful author, possess the power to transform readers, forcing them to examine with their own eyes what the character revels upon himself. Hurston’s novel is definitely not written for one looking for a light read. Belying its mere one hundred some pages, the book sits heavy, probing the mind with questions for which there are no clear answers, and that is arguably where its power lies, not despite of its ambiguity, but for its ambiguity . The fact that so many people can read one book, and that one book can invoke such a diverse array of reaction and thought, however polarizing, speaks volumes to its
greatness.