Overview Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

Authors write their novels based on their life experiences and people that impact them the most. Zora Neale Hurston wrote, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston was born in Alabama on January 7, 1891 (Zora Neale Hurston 1891-1960). She moved to Eatonville which was a black controlled area. Due to her living in a black community Hurston did not experience racial discrimination (Zora Neale Hurston 1891-1960). She always referred Eatonville as her home (Boyd 25). Throughout her life she had many people telling her to stop writing. Her father banned her from reading and writing (Lyons 2-3). This did not stop Hurston from following her dreams. Hurston is filled with confidence and as a child she was described as, “to spirited and to mouthy for her own good” (Wrapped in Rainbows). She is full of determination and courage. Their Eyes

Hurston writes the dialogue in a southern dialect. In the novel Logan is yelling at Janie. He tells her, “Tain’t too many mens would trust yun, knowin’ yo’ folks lak dey do” (Hurston 30). The language Hurston uses in the novel is from the southern black era. The dialogue is different the rest of the text. The dialogue is a thick southern accent but the rest of the text is formal. She does this to portray the characters and help give the reader an idea of what's happening at the time and moment. The formal text helps the reader know what is happening between the characters. Hurston grew up in a black community, being raised in this community she “absorbed phrases that would later find her way into her own stories” (Boyd 39). Her family talked to her in a southern accent. The southern background lead to her creating “unforgettable folk characters and speech” (Lyons 42). Not only does Hurston use language from her life that affects her writing but she also uses many other factors throughout her life that affect her writing as