Their Eyes Were Watching God Figurative Language

In the bildungsroman Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, it depicts the story of Janie Starks, an African American woman living in rural Florida during the early 20th century. As a teen, Janie established both a clear idea of what love and marriage should be and a sense of self-worth that allowed her to go through her life knowing her standards for relationships. However, through Janie’s search for passionate love and independence, she falls victim to many voices that oppress her. Language is a tool that is used to both oppress and empower Janie on her path to finding her own voice and gaining her independence. Janie is silenced by her first two husbands, Logan Killicks and Joe Starks, which causes her to lose her identity

However, Joe eventually uses his big voice to oppress and silence Janie’s voice. After Joe is elected mayor of Eatonville, the citizens want Janie to make a speech, but Joe states, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’... She’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (Hurston 43). Even though Janie is fully capable and confident in making a speech, Joe quickly silences her and establishes to the town that Janie is just an extension of him and that she does not have anything else to offer. This was the beginning of Joe’s oppression towards Janie. In addition, Janie’s hair is a symbol of her beauty and overall identity, but Joe forces her to tie it up in a rag because he is afraid that other men will be attracted to her beauty. This further oppresses Janie as it conceals the way Janie expresses her identity

From the time they met, Tea Cake treats Janie like a regular person, not like how the rest of Eatonville treats Janie as being “better than” the rest of them. Janie loves being around Tea Cake because she can have fun and do “regular” things. Through his words and actions, Tea Cake gives Janie the freedom to be herself and make her own decisions, which was something she had never encountered from a man before. She is finally happy in her life. After getting married, Tea Cake and Janie move to the Everglades, a large natural environment where Janie experiences many new things, such as new cultures and work experiences. Tea Cake allows Janie to work with him in the Muk, which brings them closer together through their shared experiences. Tea Cake treats Janie as his equal, which finally allows her to be confident in herself and her voice. When talking about Tea Cake, Janie states, “He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring… He was a glance from God” (Hurston 106). Janie has finally found the kind of passionate and true love she had desired as a teen while sitting under the pear tree. Tea Cake and Janie’s love was a big and natural love which was directly reflective of the environment they were