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Summary Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

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- Zora Neale Hurston, born January 7th, 1891, was an African-American author, widely known for her classic novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Being raised in Eatonville, Florida, the first black township of the United States, Hurston was indulged in black culture at a very early age. Zora was described to have a fiery, yet bubbly spirit, befriending very influential people, one being American poet, Langston Hughes. With heavy influence from her hometown, along with the achievement of the black women around her, an abundance of motivation came when Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God. The novel promotes black power, all while rejecting the stereotypes held against women. b) Key Characters 1. Janie Crawford • Janie Crawford, the main character of the book, is a woman of both black and white ancestry, a woman with long hair, and most importantly, a woman with a lot of relationship experience. Janie first is with Logan Killicks, a man that her …show more content…

Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods • Tea Cake has a vital role in the novel, being the first of the men Janie has been with to show her true love. Vergible acts the complete opposite of Joe, in which he allows Janie to embrace her true self, her roots, and most importantly, her culture. Tea Cake is very adventurous, and Janie enjoys herself with him on his spontaneous trips and events. He loves Janie, and even saves her from a dog during the flood, but, unfortunately is bitten, and infected with rabies. Tea Cake allowed Janie to feel secure about herself, and learn to love life, and enjoy inner peace. 4. Nanny • Although she is not in the book for long, readers meet Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, early in the novel. Janie has grown up with this lady, after her mom left her at a young age. Nanny wants Janie to marry into wealth, which is why she motivates Janie into marrying Logan Killicks. Marrying into wealth leaves Janie unhappy, and after her experience with Logan and Jody, Janie realizes that it is not about the

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Each of Janie’s husbands in Their Eyes were watching God changed her in some way. The three relationships help Janie grows as a person in the novel. Logan was Janie’s first husband. Janie’s grandmother arranged for Janie to marry him so he could take care of her. Janie does not love Logan, but believes that with time she will fal in love with him.

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For example, just like Jody, Tea Cake also physically abuses Janie to display his authority over her. What makes Janie 's relationship with Tea Cake different from her other relationships is that it is based on a love that runs much deeper than her motivation in staying in her other relationships. Janie married Logan in search of love. She married Jody in search of wealth and his ambition. When both of these relationships failed, she entered into her relationship with Tea Cake with low expectations.

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After Joe's death, Janie was done with relationships because she now enjoys the freedom she has. She starts to believe that love doesn't exist, until Tea cake came into her

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Hurston was known for her novels, shorty stories and poems. She was most well-known for her novels. Zora Neale Hurston was an African American woman that was phenomenal writer during the Harlem Renaissance. In her literary work she uses symbolism and imagery to express African American culture and feminism. Hurston gained fame much fame during the Harlem Renaissance, she was writer who cherish the literature arts.

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Joe Starks was the next man in Janie's life, and while it started better, by the end, he was abusive, treated her poorly, and was highly power-hungry. Lastly was Tea Cake; Tea Cake and Janie had a great relationship until Tea Cake contracted

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In the face of adversity, what causes some individuals to fail while others prevail? Many people face difficulties. Depending on the person’s strength some will get through tough times, but some will fail to overcome them. I have chosen two books: Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Book Thief. These two stories deal with people overcoming the difficulties they face throughout their life.

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The United States Constitution states that the country values liberty, life, and happiness for all of its citizens. These three values shape the ideal American experience. Most view it as living freely, where all men, women, and races are created equal, and where oppression of genders and races does not exist. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, however, Zora Neale Hurston challenges the traditional view of this experience by illustrating how gender roles and racism change it, manifesting that it is not close to what the average citizen goes through, especially if he or she is black.

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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.

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Janie is the symbol of feminism and independence for women in the novel and shows her heroism in many instances. Some of her heroic qualities include determination, empathy, and

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Janie Crawford Killiks Starks Woods is the main character in the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, where she learns what's it's like to go from marriage to marriage looking for love. In the novel, Hurston utilizes the pivotal moment when Janie realizes that marriage doesn’t always mean love to show Janie's coming of age and psychological development which is used to show that love doesn't always come first. Logan Killicks was Janie's first marriage, which was brought about after Nanny (her grandmother) decided that she need to be married after she caught Janie and a young boy kissing when she was 16. After that Janie finds herself being thrown into some random marriage with some man she barely knew, and for a reason

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The novel’s protagonist, Janie Crawford, a woman who dreamt of love, was on a journey to establish her voice and shape her own identity. She lived with Nanny, her grandmother, in a community inhabited by black and white people. This community only served as an antagonist to Janie, because she did not fit into the society in any respect. Race played a large factor in Janie being an outcast, because she was black, but had lighter skin than all other black people due to having a Caucasian ancestry.

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Her Story, Her Voice The unique story that is Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of voices collected together to create one big voice. Hurston uses many characters’ voices to help Janie find her own, actual voice and tell her story by the end of the novel. The story by Zora Neale Hurston is a frame story which is a story within a story. Hurston, like many other authors, uses the frame narrative to help the story come full circle and create a sense that the reader is part of the story.

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Zora Neale Hurston’s writing in Their Eyes Were Watching God, reflects the Harlem Renaissance through Janie 's individuality, and departs from the Harlem Renaissance with the common recurrence of black woman empowerment. In the novel, Hurston reflects the ideas of the Harlem renaissance with the ways in which Janie rebels and goes against norms for women.

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In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the long-lasting effects of slavery have taken a toll on Janie Crawford. Janie’s grandmother was raped by her master and had a child named Leafy. Leafy, although not born into slavery, endured a similar fate, which led her to run away, leaving her mother to raise her child, Janie. Janie’s appearance, showing strong European features, was both praised and shamed by society. This double standard was created by racism and was able to remain present due to segregation.

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This lets the reader know why nanny wants the security and the protection for Janie. She

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