Essay – Their Eyes Were Watching God Author Zora Neale Hurston weaves many powerful symbols into her acclaimed novel‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston’s use of symbols enhances the reader’s understanding of the trials and tribulations along the road of self discovery for the story’s main character‚ Janie. Of the many symbols used throughout the novel‚ one in particular - Janie’s hair - is subtle yet striking as it gives us insight into Janie’s perceived social status‚ oppression‚ self identity
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AP English Mrs. Walker 26 August 2009 The Problem: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line” – DuBios. People of color have had the worst of sufferings around the globe‚ from slavery to racism and hate; DuBios addresses the problem that despite that people of color are free‚ they suffer the early hate of the post civil war era‚ and are always known as the “problem” of the white dominated society. For many decades
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draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.” (p193) Here in Their Eyes Were Watching God we can see the symbol and importance of horizons. Horizons‚ in Janie’s case‚ symbolizes how she matures as a woman‚ and seeks what love is‚ living and making choices as she desires! Meanwhile‚ she has no one to guide her‚ but God is by her side through every step of the way! Before Janie’s grandmother died‚ she caught her kissing. From that day forward
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The search for one’s identity is as poignant for the fictional character Janie as it was for former slave Frederick Douglass. Douglass used education to form an independent identity‚ which would separate him from the white slave masters. In contrast‚ Janie attempts to construct a dependent identity through marriage to each of her three husbands. With the death of her final husband Tea Cake‚ she plants the seeds he left behind‚ symbolically proving that she has grown as the seeds will grow and she
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Synopsis of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ is a female bildungsroman and it is a polyphonic novel of personal development in which the protagonist‚ Janie searches for an authentic identity‚ a quest for romance and in turn achieving self fulfillment and voice. Throughout the novel‚ Hurston highlights different themes through poetic dialect such as love‚ racism and gender inequality. The plot is structured into Janie’s four relationships with Nanny‚ Logan Killicks
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Their eyes were watching god is a story of a girl named Janie. The story starts with Janie coming to her hometown in a very bad condition. Her hair is messed up‚ her clothes are torn and as soon as she reaches near by her house‚ everyone in her neighborhood starts to look at her and make nosy comments about her. Men talk about how her buttocks and breasts look. Women talk about how excited she was to leave the town and how she has ended up coming back in the town. They also comment about a man and
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Women in the Eyes of Society For centuries women have been considered delicate and have been looked down upon by men. In books and movies women are treated like children and work animals. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston‚ and in the movie The Color Purple directed by Steven Spielberg‚ originally written by Alice Walker‚ women are not treated like equals but as an inferior being. These stories present stereotypical women that stay at home and are mindless compared to
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In some works of literature‚ a character who appears briefly‚ or does not appear at all‚ is a significant presence. In the novel by Zora Neale Hurston‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ the main character‚ Janie‚ has a grandmother‚ Nanny‚ who is a significant presence in the story‚ although she just appears in some parts of the book. Due to Nanny having a negative experience in her life‚ she wants to marry her granddaughter with someone that she believes will take care and protect Janie. Nanny’s beliefs
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that gives us all the wrong ideas about ourselves. We mistakenly think of self-understanding as self-indulgence‚ and we carry on without asking the most important question we’ll ever ask: Who am I really? Zora Neale Hurston’s novel‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ introduces themes of love‚ status‚ and mannerisms of women while focusing on a woman’s story of self realization and empowerment. In a search for both an idyllic vision of love and herself‚ protagonist Janie Crawford sacrifices everything
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In the story of Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ Janie’s grandmother‚ Nanny who was a former slave arranged Janie’s marriage to successful farmer named Logan Killicks. Nanny wants a good life for Janie feels with his wealth he could give Janie a stable secure life. Nanny feared that if Janie didn’t marry Logan she would end up like Janie’s mother‚ Leafy‚ which was raped by her teacher and ran off. Nanny wanted to live to know that Janie would be ok once she passes away. Janie decides to marry Logan
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