Zora Neale Hurston Research Paper

Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, and short story writer and is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston grew up in one of America’s first all-black community’s this gave her a sense of independence, freedom and boldness that many African-Americans especially females did not have during this time, this distinguishes her from other writers of her time and it is clearly reflected in her work. In Hurston’s time she wrote a plethora of short stories, plays, essays and 4 published novels. Of all of the works she published and accomplishments she had, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This novel tells the story of Janie Crawford a young African-American girl growing

After the confrontation they avoid each other and Jody becomes ill and begins to die. Janie tries to talk to Jody before it is too late and they get into one last argument before he passes away and she puts up a front of sadness and mourning for the towns people. After six months of mourning a man comes in the store one day by the name of Tea Cake and asks her to play a game of checkers, they continue to talk for the rest of the night then they lock up the store and he walks her home. After meeting Tea Cake she is trying to discover if she is open for love again and believes that there is something different about him right from the start. In the Hurston’s novel after the day they first met it states “Tea Cake wasn’t strange. Seemed as if she had known him all her life. Look how she had been able to talk with him right off! He tipped his hat at the door and was off with the briefest good night.” At this point Janie is getting over her deceased husband and is beginning to feel opportunity for something else to possibly emerge from the man she just met. She also begins to find independence now that she does not have Jody around telling her what to do. Additionally, she begins to realize that she resents her grandmother for the ideal system she raised Junie on. In Hurston’s novel Janie states “She hated the old woman who had twisted her so in the name of love. Most humans didn’t love one another nohow, and this mislove was so strong that even common blood couldn’t overcome it all the time.” Pg. 65. This quote shows how as the story progresses Janie continues to discover more about herself and more about what she thinks is important when it comes to discussing love. She realizes she strongly dislikes her grandmother for putting ideas in her