ipl-logo

Theme Of Motifs In Their Eyes Were Watching God

305 Words2 Pages
Motifs can be expressed by symbols. Motifs are any elements that appears in one or more works of literature of art. Motifs explains the Theme in stories. It adds images and ideas to the theme to present throughout the narrative. Motifs provide compositions with a traceable pattern, meaning it can mean something. For example, a red dress or idea of guilt throughout the narrative. “Their Eyes Were Watching God” has many motifs that will have people thinking about nature that reflects on life and people. “Their Eyes Were Watching God” had a motif that explains the whole book about Janie’s first love. The motif was “He could be the bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring.” (Hurston 106). The pear tree is Tea Cake which symbolizes the
Show More
Related
483 Words | 2 Pages

Symbolism is something that is used very much in literature. Authors use this literary element to tell stories within the story. Motifs are a reoccurring element that has any sort of symbolic significance in a story. A theme in a story is a central concept of the story. Bernard Malamud used all three in his writings.

Read More
1221 Words | 5 Pages

“Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt,” said the historical Roman playwright, Plautus. A motif is a recurring narrative element, such as a pattern or symbol. Authors often use motifs to reveal an underlying theme of the literature or symbolize a specific character or idea. Alice Hoffman utilizes the motif of minnows in her book “The River King” to reveal that Carlin had to let go of her guilt to overcome the grief of losing Gus. When Gus died, Carlin felt that she was at fault because they had been in a fight before his death, and this led to extreme feelings of guilt eating her alive every day.

Read More
1606 Words | 7 Pages

The motif and the symbols basically balance eachother out, from what i interpret is because they both have to do with the veil. The veil gets emphasized roughly, it is such a huge piece of context in the story and it is really a matter of life or death in the story because when Hooper dies, he gets buried with the veil on still and that's what leads the story on insane as

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

Chapter 9&10 “God never meant 'em tuh try tuh stand by theirselves. Joe, Janie 's husband had died & lots of men came by to check on her, telling her that a woman needs help and couldn 't make it on her own without a man. Some had been friends & associates of Joe Starks the mayor. The quote "But she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after thing” is an example of simile.

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

Imagery and metaphors are used in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" to help the reader get a better understanding of the book. These forms of figurative language are used throughout the book to grab the reader's attention and make them feel more connected to the book. Without these forms of figurative language, the book would be bland and wouldn't connect with the reader in any way. There are many examples, including metaphors and imagery, spread evenly throughout the story of "Their Eyes for Watching God." They use imagery to give the reader an idea of what it looks like inside the story.

Read More
963 Words | 4 Pages

The pear tree represented simplicity and pleasure. Every man Janie had married had been older than her, and not exactly what she had envisioned under the pear tree. Finally, she met Tea Cake and felt the feelings she had been longing

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

Their Eyes were Watching God features Janie, the main character, narrating her life and her growth through the form of storytelling. The author masterfully crafts the piece so that Phoeby and the audience learn of Janie’s hardships and struggles and, as a result, the reader learns about the complications within the relationship between Janie and Joe that culminate into one single paragraph. In Their Eyes were Watching God, the author Zora Hurston uses a plethora of literary devices, including similes, metaphors, and personification, to help develop the main character Janie and on a larger, more universal scale, express the idea that male dominance over females is detrimental for women, as shown by the negative effects on Janie caused by Joe. First, Hurston uses personification to develop the main character Janie. When Hurston writes “The years took all the fight out of Janie’s face.

Read More
1764 Words | 8 Pages

Written by Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, follows a young woman named Janie Crawford and her coming of age story. The novel is introduced with Janie returning back to Eatonville after the passing of her husband Tea Cake. In the opening scene, Janie opens up to her friend Pheoby and tells her how things have been since she had left with Tea cake two years ago. However, Phoebe doesn't understand the story Janie is trying to tell her because she incorporates events from when her grandmother was around thus confusing her friend.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

All throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston, the themes of uniformity, love, and more can be seen encircling the world of Janie Mae Crawford, the protagonist of the story. These symbols and motifs stretch farther into the contrasting locations of Eatonville and the Everglades. There are many prominent differences between the two places, as well as prominent meaning and themes surrounding the two different locations. Eatonville and The Everglades house thematic symbols that contrast one another. Eatonville, the central urban setting, represents conformity, suppression and stagnant standard.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Motifs are defined as: “a recurrent image, idea, or symbol that develops or explains a theme” (Motif - Examples and Definition of Motif). This literary devise enhances the plot and character development, imagery, and theme identification in literature. For these reasons, extraordinary writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, pepper their works with motifs. The Great Gatsby is no exception. Throughout the course of the novel, numerous motifs are used, such as: weather, color, geography, and money.

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

“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.

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

Zora Neale Hurston uses the term “silence” to represent powerlessness and strife in Their Eyes Were Watching God, especially in the character of Janie. Janie’s first two husbands didn’t attempt to understand their wife as a person, alternatively choosing to see her as a labor source or an object to be won. These men silenced her personal dreams and desires, keeping the power in the relationship for themselves. Tea Cake, in contrast, gets to know Janie on a personal level; he learns about her own hopes and aspirations. The power in their relationship remains evenly split.

Read More
596 Words | 3 Pages

During the 1920s, many traditional values were abandoned in place of unconventional ideologies. However, several groups clung to the time-honored morals of their fathers. These opposing viewpoints were the root of much tension in society, especially in locations where a black majority was prevalent. Examples of this controversy are present throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by black feminist author Zora Neale Hurston. The main conflict and the moral beliefs in the novel stem from protagonist Janie Crawford being an independent thinker and having divergent principles from the other censorious members of her society.

Read More
1171 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
760 Words | 4 Pages

Racism can be defined as prejudice, discrimination, or contributions to a system that perpetuates the idea that one race is inferior to another. Racism was heavily enforced throughout American history, specifically in the early 1900’s. Coincidentally, this was the same time feminists, or women’s-rights activists, were in the in the midst of their fight for equality. Feminism is the theory that women should be treated equally to men in terms of social, political, and economic matters. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses the protagonist, Janie, to convey both concepts through her journey to self-love and acceptance.

Read More

More about Theme Of Motifs In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Open Document