Analysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

After years of suffering from persecution, discrimination, and institutionalized racism due to Jim Crow laws, black people all around America engaged in a social and cultural movement entitled ‘The Harlem Renaissance.’ Author Zora Neale Hurston wrote the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, about the Harlem Renaissance while promoting feminist ideas. Although the Harlem Renaissance was a social and cultural movement, the Harlem Renaissance still promoted traditional gender roles for women, which is reflected by Nanny’s wishes for Janie and departs with Janie’s want of freedom. In the Harlem Renaissance, women were not as respected as men, especially in the arts. Looking in retrospect, many critics highly value women of color’s writing during

Hurston reflects the traditional gender roles implemented by the Harlem Renaissance through the character Nanny. Nanny escaped slavery, suffered a very difficult life, then raised the main character, Janie. Once Janie is 16 and starts showing interest in men; Nanny insists that Janie be wed immediately because “ [Nanny] can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outta [Janie]” (Hurston 20). Nanny fears that Janie will not be respected by men, due the widespread belief at the time that women were lesser than men. Nanny also promotes the idea that women need men for respect and cannot be individuals while maintaining respect. Janie is only 16 and is being restricted by societal expectations and judgements, implemented by Nanny. As Wall stated, black women were restricted by society and treated unequally during the Harlem Renaissance, and Nanny was restricting Janie. Thus, Nanny is implementing the societal standards that the Harlem Renaissance promoted by forcing Janie to marry for stability, indicating her reflection of the Harlem