In the face of adversity, what causes some individuals to fail while others prevail? Many people face difficulties. Depending on the person’s strength some will get through tough times, but some will fail to overcome them. I have chosen two books: Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Book Thief. These two stories deal with people overcoming the difficulties they face throughout their life. Some difficulties include racism, religious discrimination, and dealing with others’ cruelness or kindness. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God the main character Janie returns back to her hometown Eatonville, Florida after being away for some time. All the townspeople gossip about what might have happened to Janie when she moved away. Janie clears up all the gossip and shares her story with the curious group. Janie was raised by her grandmother after her mother ran away. As Janie got older her grandmother wanted her to have a good life, so she forced Janie to marry a wealthy, older farmer, Logan Killicks. Janie was miserable when married to him. She left Logan for another man, Joe Starks. They get married and open up a store in town. Throughout their marriage Janie learns that Joe doesn’t treat her right, he treats her like an object. Janie begins to hate Joe, and she insults him in front of the whole town. Soon Joe becomes very ill, and Janie doesn’t talk to him for …show more content…
In part one of the book, page 20, paragraph three it states “With one eye open, one still in a dream, the book thief--also known as Liesel Meminger--could see without question that her younger brother, Werner, was now sideways and dead.” (Zusak 20) This is the first problem that Liesel has to overcome. Her brother dying, and having to start out a new life with a new
The “Rock Pile” by James Baldwin and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston are two stories that examined black male resistance to emasculation. The men in these stories lived in patriarchal societies, and they reaped the benefits of a structure that favored men. In both of these stories, the male characters are dominant figures in their households, and when they felt like their manhood was being attacked, they retaliate viciously. In “Their eyes were watching god”
At the start of the book. Liesel is nine years old and due to her mother being sick, she’s given up for adoption. Liesel is then taken in by her foster parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. On the way to 33 Himmel Street, which is where the Hubermanns live, Liesel’s younger brother died. “With one eye open, one still in a dream, the book thief -- also known as Liesel Meminger -- could see without question that her younger brother, Werner, was now sideways and dead.”
The man vs nature conflict in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" plays an essential role within the novel. Throughout the novel, especially in the beginning, Janie is shown to have a connection to nature. This is most noticeable in the way that bees and pollen symbolize Janie's maturity and how the horizon is used to represents Janie's lifelong search for happiness. It is because of this, that when the hurricane comes across Janie and Tea Cake near the end of the novel that it is more than just a mere battle for survival. Throughout the novel, forces similar to that of the hurricane antagonize Janie: the doctrines to which Nanny, Logan, and Jody adhere; Mrs. Turner’s racism; the sexism of Eatonville’s men; and the gossip of the porch culture.
Janie's character in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a fluid character that changes, but also remains constant in some aspects. During chapter 5 and 6 her tendencies are called to attention through Joe's criticism. As he verbally attacks Janie and pushes her around her feelings and reactions illustrate who she is as a character, in this point of her life. During a meeting, in which Joe becomes Mayer, they ask Janie to say a few words about it in encouragement. Before she had a chance to respond, Joe did for her.
Literary Analysis The Quest for Independence Has one ever wonder what makes the world’s greatest novels so hard to put down? The ones that make one gasp aloud and bite one’s nails frantically; great novels that leave you on the edge of your seat, like, Romeo and Juliet, The Notebook, and even the Titanic. In each of these novels, they display a story of, the search for independence. In the novel, by Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God the protagonist, Janie Woods, begins her search for independence through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trails and purpose.
Young Janie’s first marriage was with a man named Logan Killicks. It was not Janie’s choice to marry him, but was her grandmother’s request. Janie said she would learn to love him, but never does because Logan was repulsing to Janie and he eventually put her through manual labor. Even so,
Throughout the book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God '' -Zora Neale Hurtson, there were many themes in the book ranging from love to racial identity. Here I will be explaining three of the themes I've chosen from the various themes presented throughout my reading, racial identity, judgment and love.
Janie’s first of three marriage was to Logan Killicks, a middle age hard working farmer. However, the marriage was a product
In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, there are many meal scenes that could correlate to Foster’s idea of communion whilst dining. This novel is loaded with metaphorical meal scenes, all of which contribute significantly to the story. There are a few important meal scenes though that develop and contribute to the plot more than others. The first of these occurs when Jody decides to open the store and give away free food. The second is when the people of the glades go to Janie’s house for mirth and company.
People come into our lives for different reasons. Some leave a positive impact, while others bring negativity. Readers and critics alike have treasured Zora Neale Hurston’s 20th century novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, for generations particularly for its complex portrayal of the different main characters. The people a person meet and the experiences that person many go through in their lifetime can alter a person significantly. Through the tyrannical words of Joe Starks and the inconsiderate actions of Nanny, Janie in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is negatively influenced as her actions and thoughts alter her life.
Media: From T.V. to Books is a Changin' Thing " There's two things everybody got to find out for theyselves: they got to find out about love, and they got to find out about living. Now, love is like the sea. It's a moving thing.
Over the decades, women have progressively moved towards embracing independence. The role of women has transformed as females everywhere are breaking the social stigma and the stereotypical obligations the world has put on them. From the duty of housewife to the position of CEO, opportunities for women have grown into a plethora of possibilities that is never ending. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston prolifically displays Janie’s metamorphosis as a female in the Post Civil-War era.
Being mature is usually correlated with older age, but that’s not necessarily correct. Everyone has been told to “grow up” at some point, have been expected to be sophisticated no matter their age. Maturity does not depend on age because parents raise children in varying ways and have experienced unique learning opportunities, and strive for incomparable goals in life Someone’s childhood can affect the way they act in the long run. As a child, my parents took me to fancy restaurants and museums which taught me how to behave in a mature manner and, by forcing me into “adult” settings, I learned how to be mature even as a preadolescent.
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is a novel written by Zora Neale Hurston. The novel portrays Janie, a middle aged black woman who tells her friend Pheoby Watson what has happened to her husband Tea Cake and her adventure. The resulting telling of her story portrays most of the novel. Throughout the novel, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of love, or being in a relationship versus freedom and independence, that being in a relationship may hinder one’s freedom and independence. Janie loves to be outgoing and to be able to do what she wants, but throughout the book the relationships that she is in with Logan,Jody and Tea Cake, does not allow her to do that.
One of the universal themes of literature is the idea that children suffer because of the mistakes of an earlier generation. The novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" follows the story of Janie Mae Crawford through her childhood, her turbulent and passionate relationships, and her rejection of the status quo and through correlation of Nanny 's life and Janie 's problems, Hurston develops the theme of children 's tribulations stemming from the teachings and thoughts of an earlier generation. Nanny made a fatal mistake in forcibly pushing her own conclusions about life, based primarily on her own experiences, onto her granddaughter Janie and the cost of the mistake was negatively affecting her relationship with Janie. Nanny lived a hard life and she made a rough conclusion about how to survive in the world for her granddaughter, provoked by fear. " Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outa you: Have some sympathy fuh me.