Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was a black female, born in 1891. She is the author of a very well known novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. During the Harlem Renaissance, she lived in a town called Eatonville, Florida. Through the novel, Zora Hurston indirectly tells you the story of her youth and early adulthood through various different characters. The reader is able to become familiar with the struggles that she encountered in the South during the Harlem Renaissance, but they are also able to understand that she was able to overcome each one of these obstacles. Hurston is famous for writing folklore, which is a type of writing based on the different customs and beliefs throughout history. Huston found comfort in writing folklore, because she was able

“It’s negro hair, but it’s got a kind of white flavor” (Hurston 67-68). This quote from the novel explains how Janie’s hair gives her a sense of identity. Through this quote, the reader can understand that Janie is unique, and she is not like all others like her. Her hair is beautiful and long, and all of the men admired it. “Janie’s coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields” (Hurston 140). This quote is significant to the motif, because it describes Janie’s very appealing beauty, but more importantly her gorgeous locks of hair. Mrs. Turner compares her to the rest of the woman of that time, but believes that she is different, not because of her attire, but because her hair and complexion was not similar to theirs. The motif of hair connects to the theme, because Janie is faced with the conflict that she is not able to show off her hair while in her abusive relationships, because other men may find her attractive. Although, she is able to overcome the offensive behavior of her partners and set herself free from the constriction she

The motif of clothing is important to conveying the theme, because the reader can understand that Janie was not allowed to dress how she wanted, and when she was in an abusive relationship, she needed to dress how she was told. The motif of hair is important, because it provides the reader with the understanding that Janie was restricted from wearing her hair down, because other men would fall in love with her hair. In the end, all of the limits placed on Janie were removed and she could wear her hair however she liked. Lastly, the motif of head rag is important to the theme, because it allows the reader to understand the struggle that Janie has with her husband's, not allowing her to wear her hair down, always restricting her to wear it hidden. Each of these motifs are important to the theme, women should not be constricted and should not have many limits, because they play a major role in Janie ultimately being set