Personification in Their Eyes Were Watching God By: Camryn McCracken Throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston uses personification to convey the complex emotions of each character as well as the beauty of the setting. Text often uses figurative language to explain what even careful readers may not understand, but Hurston’s use of figurative language is what makes this book a masterclass on literary art. In early chapters especially, the author uses personification to connect the main character to the setting. Janie, who also serves as the narrator, gives her perspective on her relationships with her current and previous husbands. Joe Starks, her second husband, was very controlling over every aspect