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Analysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

760 Words4 Pages

During the Harlem renaissance, there were many popular figures like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Langston Hughes, but one that usually isn't mentioned is Zora Neale Hurston. Zora Neale Hurston was an author, and a Civil rights activist during the Harlem Renaissance. Zora Neale Hurston is both a reflection of and a departure from the ideas of the Harlem Renaissance because, She wants the women to have lots of freedom, and talks about how women should be more dependent and stand up for themselves, but in contrast shows how the women are somehow tied down to working, and she mentions slavery and how racism is still a problem.
To begin with Hurston Talks in her book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” about how women should live a free and …show more content…

Hurston shows how women were still considered, “work mules” in her story, “Sweat” she states, “It was eleven o’clock of a spring night in Florida. It was Sunday. Any other night, Delia Jones would have been in bed for two hours by this time. But she was a wash women, and Monday morning meant a great deal to her. (Hurston 375). In this quote Hurston shows how women during the Harlem Renaissance were tied down to work. In this quote Delia Jones was working on a Sunday to try to get ahead. This is controversial because you aren't supposed to work on a Sunday. Especially for them because they took religion seriously. In Christianity you are supposed to not work on sunday. This departs from the Harlem Renaissance because during the Harlem Renaissance women were starting to have easier jobs, and here she has to work on a Sunday to try to get ahead for the week. Hurston also departs from the Harlem Renaissance by introducing slavery and racism. She states, “Ah’ll have you whipped till de blood run down to yo’ heels! Ah mean to count de licks mahself. And if it kills you Ah’ll stand de loss” (Hurston 18). What’s happening in the quote is, when nanny was a slave she was raped by her master, the Janie’s mom was born and had grey eyes, and light hair, so the master’s wife got furious and said this. Hurston is trying to show the struggles that their ancestors had.. And this also has to do with racism. Racism

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