Figurative Language In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston utilizes a variety of symbolism and imagery related to the natural world to convey Janie’s complex desires for impeccable life experiences. Additionally, Hurston employs figurative language through nature sources to represent the satisfactory and traumatic experiences that have occurred throughout her lifetime, as well as the journey that she has completed in order to fulfill these experiences. Juxtaposition and similes are present throughout this novel, which further parallels Janie’s connection to the natural world, while additionally demonstrating the intellectual strength that she possesses.

Since the early parts of the novel, the reader has been continually reminded of Janie’s

As Joe introduces himself to Janie, his dominant personality and confidence overtake her, which causes her to believe that she is in love with him; when in reality, it is just naivety. In fact, she ignored her standards for love in order to create a life with Joe, as the text states, “Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for a far horizon”(29). It is clear that Joe is not exactly what Janie is looking for in a relationship; however, the fact that he is confident in everything he says, as well as the fact that he initially treats Janie with respect, causes Janie to look up to Joe. Additionally, the way that everyone around Janie esteems Joe upon meeting him further proves to be an excuse for her to stay married to him. Although Joe saw great things in the future for himself and the community that he built, he does not show true love for Janie; but rather uses her as a trophy. The oppression that Joe covertly imposes upon Janie causes her to become a reserved and obedient woman, who no longer stands up for herself. The blinding idea of what Janie thought was love in her relationship with Joe is responsible for the alteration of her personality that affects her for the duration of their

This event not only represents the power of nature, but also symbolizes the hardships that Janie faced in her previous marriages. The text states, “It woke up old Okechobee and the monster began to roll in his bed. Began to roll and complain like a peevish world on a grumble”(158). This juxtaposition that compares the hurricane to a monster is directly related to the “monster” that had previously been present in Janie’s life, which was her marriage with Joe. The fact that Janie’s past marriage is compared to a monster demonstrates the authority that her relationship with Joe held over her life, as well as Janie’s intense change in personality. It is also related to the fact that life cannot be perfect forever, so when Janie’s new life with Tea Cake was her highest point in life, something bad was destined to occur at some point in the novel; which is the devastating hurricane. The occurrence of this hurricane further stands as an interpretation of the way that Janie was so naive going into her second marriage, but through perseverance and staying true to herself, she made it out alive and with an accepting attitude towards her life. This is similar to Janie’s attitude toward her life after Tea Cake’s death, as she is able to accept and find contentment for the life that she has lived, despite the horrible things that took place throughout