Ariela Gavrilov Kanu – 7 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston Literary Criticism By Bethany Maupin “In the male-dominated society of the early 1900s‚ women had a certain place with specific duties to fulfill. Women were pretty to look at‚ but had no mind of their own. Thus‚ they didn’t need to make speeches‚ voice their opinion‚ or vote. Women could work in the home‚ on the farm‚ or in a store‚ but that was as close as they got to the world of the men. Outside of work
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Their Eyes Were Watching God is a powerful and motivating literary work. Chronicling a young woman’s journey through life‚ the novel speaks to not only women‚ but all people who experience strife in their lifetimes. A novel filled with inner and outer struggles‚ and having the strength to overcome those hardships‚ author Zora Neale Hurston constructs a novel not just for the common-man‚ but for the every-man. Throughout the novel‚ Hurston’s mix of blatant and obscure symbolism to weave her tale
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and the possibility of connection between self‚ the world‚ and other persons within Janie. In ancient Chinese mythology‚ the pear tree symbolized immortal life because of the longevity of the tree‚ the same thought can be applied in Their Eyes Were Watching God. If Janie had not continued to have hope that love was an attainable idea than she would not have been so open to connecting with Tea Cake on a deeper emotional level‚ she let her ideas of love be immortal and long lasting‚ just like a pear
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The central theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God is found off of Janie’s race as she is the protagonist. It is based more off of her life experiences and finding herself in the world than as a black woman. In other words‚ this novel is focused on the maturity and development of Janie‚ so the story is a bildungsroman. The premise of this story is based off of fantasy versus the reality of tragedy and the lessons to be learned by Janie. In her writing‚ Hurston uses poetic diction‚ imagery‚ dialect
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I think Their Eyes Are Watching God is a feminist novel. I think The Eyes Were Watching God is a feminist novel. Because this novel has a tough black woman to search for who she is and her happiness. With those facts‚ Janie is a fast forward thinking‚ powerful female protagonist. She is a victim again and again of male repression and domination‚ Janie stands for herself at several points throughout the novel. I think there is more evidence to claim that she develops what might be called a feminist
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Americans finding new cultural identities and ideals as America reached the end of slavery. One of these African Americans was Janie Crawford whose upbringing was different from that of the slave period. Janie‚ the main character in “Their Eyes Were Watching God” (1937) by novelist Zora Neale Hurston is a perfect example of showing that humans have the skill to learn and grow by trial and error. She experienced life’s offers different from those around her and this is conveyed through her value of
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Their Eyes Were Watching God: The Use of Clothing by Zora Neale Hurston In the novel Their Eyes were watching God Zora Neale Hurston portrays a woman named Janie’s search for love and freedom. Janie‚ throughout the novel‚ bounces through three different marriages‚ with a brief stint at being a widow in between. Throughout these episodes‚ Hurston uses Janie`s clothing as a visual bookmark of where Janie is in her search for true love and how she is being influenced by those around her. Janie’s
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Silas Hanegraaf Why do discoveries in life require struggles? In Their Eyes Were Watching God by “Zora Neale Hurston”‚ Janie finds value in herself through obstacles with those close to her‚ herself as an individual‚ and trials beyond her control. She discovers who she is and what her life means through extraordinary trials‚ but not without purpose. If someone wants to find out who he or she is‚ then they will have to endure struggles with those close to them‚ such as relatives and good
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“‘Mules and other brutes had occupied their [Black] skins. But now‚ the sun and the [White] bossman were gone‚ so the skins felt powerful and human’” (186). Race‚ education‚ and social class are very closely intertwined in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Social class‚ defined as a division of society based on social and economic status‚ can be related to the loss of humanity seen in the African Americans. The White men and women‚ as seen in the courtroom scene‚ seem to follow
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Chapter One (Jealousy and Friendship) In chapter one of "Their Eyes Were Watching God"‚ there was numerous amounts of emotions displayed by various people. Jealousy was a very apparent emotion displayed widely among the women in the town. Jealousy is an emotion that makes people want something that another has already and for this they spit that person. Anther more dominate emotion encrypted in this chapter was friendship. Friendship was immediately introduced in the first chapter between Janie
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