Zora Neal Hurston Analysis

Zora Neal Hurston's writing style clearly displays the experiences of her childhood. Both her diction and manipulation of point of view allow the reader to gain a deepened understanding of her life as a youth. First, Hurston's diction allows the reader to recognize that she grew up in a country home. Her slow and eloquent tone describing "the fleshy, white, fragrant blooms" and the "big barn, [with] a stretch of ground well covered with Bermuda grass" reveals the atmosphere in which she was raised. Moreover, when observing the conversations she had with others, phrases such as "jump at de sun," "no-count Negroes," and "folks up north" further indicate her Southern origins. Alongside this, Hurston's avoidance of contractions in her work provides
for a slower and richer narrative. Hurston's choice of the words "missiles" and "handgrenades" to describe the boiled eggs and grapefruits she played with as a child allows the reader to experience a part of her youthful escapades. She implies that she and her siblings would often treat the food as missiles, rockets, or grenades while playing with each other and their neighbors. She also includes the word "boisterous" when describing her youthful games, word choice which allows the reader to further perceive the creativity and energy Hurston had as a child. Throughout the entire work Hurston speaks in a casual tone, which also allows her to make the narrative more personal. When describing her meals, Hurston frequently maintains that she and her siblings had "all that we wanted" and that "we were never hungry." She reaffirms to the reader that as a child she was regularly satisfied and felt little lacking. This may imply that her family was well-off since they had plenty to eat. However, it could also mean that, even if her family was not wealthy, she was satisfied with what she had. Hurston's diction enhances the reader's sense of her childhood in even the smallest of ways. She notes how she "hated multiplication tables — especially the sevens." She is able to connect with the reader since multiplication tables were something almost everyone despised as a child. Further, her specific list of childhood games such as "hide and whoop" and "hide and seek" allows the reader to relate their own youth with her own. Also interesting to note is Hurston's manipulation of point of view. The most notable example of this is her constant shift from "I" to "we" throughout the passage. By changing her angle constantly, Hurston widens the scope of her narrative from not only her childhood life but that of her siblings as well. She also demonstrates in this that she identifies herself strongly with her family. At various points during her childhood description she includes recollections of what her parents said to her, presenting the reader with the viewpoints of her mother and father.
Hurston recalls that her mother cared deeply about how she and her siblings presented themselves in front of others, in a way so as not to appear to be poor "no-count Negroes" and rather supply themselves with many opportunities in life. Her father, on the other hand, was shown to care more about his daughter's attitude so that she would not "have too much spirit" since "the white folks were not going to stand for it." Hurston intelligently presents these two different viewpoints from her parents in a way that can easily be understood by the audience. The way in which Hurston portrays her parents' discussions themselves is also notable. She writes them as memories rather than as a conversations, which is unique. She does not include the conversations in quotation marks, but rather allows it to flow along naturally with her description of her youth. In all, Hurston's selective choice of wording and masterful representation of point of view allows the audience to fully grasp what her childhood was like. Her slow and casual tone, description of relatable accounts, changes from "I" to "we", and inclusion of conversations all come together to provide a richer synopsis of her life as a
youth.