Zora Neale Hurston’s novel‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God incorporates three main themes with motifs that define Janie as an independent‚ intelligent‚ and strong woman. The three themes include: speech and silence‚ power and downfall as means to accomplishment‚ and love and relationship in opposition to independence. In each theme‚ a motif is attached to give meaning of Hurston’s interpretation of Janie. Zora Neale Hurston utilizes speech and silence as an interesting narrative structure‚ splitting
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Introduction “One day when I was able to get up‚ I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror‚ a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me.” (Night). The horror of Holocaust left this young boy petrified as he stared back at himself in hopes to find the person he used to be before the atrocious events that previously unfolded. “For in the end‚ it is all about memory
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Jody isn’t any different. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston‚ the author portrays the relationship between Janie and Jody as dominating. Jody rarely even sees Janie as a human‚ let alone an equal or partner. Most of the time he views her as her property. In the text it states‚ “She was there in the store for him to look at.” (Hurston 55) This quote shows how Jody truly sees her‚ and how he looks down upon her as if she is an object rather than a person. He objectifies her to his
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In the novels‚ “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston‚ the authors follow the central characters in their struggle to achieve their hopes and dreams. In Fitzgerald’s novel‚ Nick Carraway‚ narrates his growing knowledge of the central character‚ Jay Gatsby‚ being a bystander to Gatsby’s venture for Daisy Buchanan’s love. In Hurston’s novel‚ the main character Janie fails to grapple what she truly wants for herself as she is thrown into abusive
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In Chapters 5 and 6 of “The Eyes Were Watching God” Janie Crawford‚ a beautiful young woman who takes orders from a tyrant of a husband. Her husband Joe Stark seemed to be the perfect guy for her. He had all the qualities that a girl can dream of‚ he’s charismatic‚ handsome‚ and a gentlemen. As their marriage progresses on Janie starts to notice that the man she fell in love with wasn’t that man no more. He started becoming jealous‚ bossy‚ and just sexist towards women. Joe criticizes everything
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Whereas a heart cannot beat without love‚ a story cannot survive without its gripping characters. The characters within a story are the key elements that essentially bring the story’s theme to life. In the novel‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ author Zora Neale Hurston showcases the African American experience as the story discusses the issues of racism and social inequality among races and genders. The author conveys the theme of feminism through her compelling female characters‚ yet Hurston reinforces
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In the story “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Janie developed a friendship with Mrs. Turner a women of color who was very much in love her light skin complexion and features. Mrs. Turner is racist against dark complexion black folks and doesn’t want to look anything like one and only seeks out a friendship with Janie because of her light skinned complexion. One day while speaking in Janie house‚ she shares her beliefs with Janie as she tells her that "Ah can’t stand black niggers.” (141) Mrs. Turner
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In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel‚ Their Eyes are Watching God‚ there is lots of imagery about Janie’s emotions and personality. Janie is a free-willed person who doesn’t care what other people think and that is shown through Tea Cake and her friends. She is trying to find herself in the book and who she is supposed to be. She is also trying to figure out love throughout the novel. When she is young‚ she thinks she figured out love and that is shown through nature. At the end of the novel‚ Janie has
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Third Time’s The Charm Love and marriage is one of the most prominent journeys that Janie goes experiences while achieving a subconscious‚ life-long pursuit of personal fulfillment. In Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ Zora Neale Hurston sets the tone for the general theme of this story‚ love and marriage. Janie Mae Crawford marries three times. One arranged by Nanny‚ one she decides to leave‚ and the third seemed almost too good to be true‚ and it was. Tea Cake is the only man in which Janie found
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In the novel‚ Their Eyes Were Watching God‚ by Zora Neale Hurston‚ she explains the journey of one woman’s pursuit to find true love‚ while trying to find her identity as well. The main protagonist‚ Janie‚ must overcome numerous hardships throughout the novel in order to find a voice for herself‚ all while living in a patriarchal society. Although Janie has been treated poorly by some‚ she certainly has proven to be a women in control of her own life‚ creating a path for women to follow in her footsteps
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