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Their eyes were watching god symbolism essay
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Their eyes were watching god symbolism
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Is it worth risking everything in order to be happy? In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, an African American woman named Janie makes many challenging decisions in order to be happy. This novel takes place in the 1920’s which creates many obstacles that Janie must overcome in order to achieve happiness. There are many stereotypes and inequalities during this time that make life extremely difficult for Janie. Although Janie allows others to mistreat her at points throughout the novel, she is overall an excellent role model for young readers because she overcomes several stereotypes of African American females during this time period, and she makes many difficult decisions based solely on her own happiness.
Throughout the story, Janie is searching for this kind of perfect love. Then there came Logan Killicks. Nanny set Janie up to marry Logan Killicks, a middle aged farmer. Janie married Logan because Nanny told her she would be better off if she did and that she would come to love him.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie suffers from hardship in two relationships before she can find her true love. Janie explains to her best friend, Pheoby, how she searches for love. Therefore Pheoby wants to hear the true story, rather than listening to the porch sitters. Throughout the book Janie experiences different types of love with three different men; Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods. At 16 Janie marries Logan Killicks.
The black culture is very diverse in different parts of the world-even in different parts of the state. Janie as moved throughout Florida to places such as West Florida, Eatonville, and the Everglades. Residing in these different places helps develop and define the character of Janie. Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie experiences many variations of black culture that helps build her character as she travels through Florida.
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neal Hurston, many symbols and metaphors appear to fully depict how Janie lived her life and what kinds of things she believed in. Hurston uses metaphors to describe the lessons Janie learned as well as the expectations that she set for herself growing up in such an unstable environment. Janie, the main character, references many symbols, as they all have a great influence on her life as well as the decisions she made, the metaphors in the novel bolster our understanding of why Janie was the way she was, and why it was important for her to find a stable relationship that would give all that she wanted. Janie always viewed the horizon as ever changing, because she could always go further and
Thanks to this disparity between black and white people as well as the use of the African American Vernacular English, Hurston cherishes the black culture. Importantly, Benesch claims that: “if it were not for the abundant use of Black English, which in itself ties the text to a specific cultural background, Their Eyes Were Watching God night easily [...] refer to ubiquitous problems of human existence” (Benesch, 1988: 628). The problem of the relations between the black and the white in the novel is also discussed by Jürgen C. Wolter (2001). He argues that the progression visible in Janie`s character symbolizes the change in thinking about skin color.
“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.
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”
The Harlem Renaissance is widely considered the uprising of African American culture. The duration of this movement started in the 1920s and went on until the start of the Great Depression. This age reflected African Americans' talent to flourish through cultural, social, and artistic events. Zora Neale Hurston’s, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” reflects and departs ideas from the Harlem Renaissance to bring perspective to black womanhood in America. Through the character of Janie Crawford, Hurston explores the complexities of black femininity and identity, defying the male-dominated narratives at the time.
The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston supports a theme of desire, love, and independence. Neale uses different literary devices such as symbolism and motif. Neale uses symbolism to express the theme of independence, desire and love. For example, uses Janie’s hair to symbolizes her independence and desire. Janie’s hair expresses the breaking the social standard barrier, by having her straight hair worn down which was seen shameful for a woman her age.
Janie holds anger for her grandma because of the grandmother’s decision, but eventually, after she matures, Janie realizes that Nanny was merely doing it
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.
Differences are what make people interesting. Different religions, cultures, and beliefs affect everyone and are interesting to see. However, sometimes these differences cause people to be persecuted. Prejudices threaten the cultural diversity that make the world such an interesting place. In Zora Neal Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character, Janie is ostracized from her community because of the color of her skin.
Janie is by herself when we first and last see her. The book is about her quest for a stable sense of independence rather than her search for a romantic relationship. Analyzing Janie's language use and relationship to her own voice allows you to see how she changes over time. The unusual linguistic style of Hurston's novel, especially her command of the rural Southern Black speech, is much recognized.
His dad is very secretive and always has been. “Logan enough with that negative attitude now go set the damn table.” His mom said with force. “Ok, ok, sorry.” Logan replied.
