Their Eyes Were Watching God is a captivating narrative tracing the life of protagonist, Janie. For years of her life, she was defined by others, from her dominant grandmother to her loveless relationships. Author Zora Neale Hurston's brought about the idea of self-realization and the idea that women can be empowered and do not need men to be happy.
The picture above represents a window overlooking a tree, with the tree symbolizing how Janie views her life and the window her view and looking from afar at the life she wants. Another primary focus is of Janie taking charge of her own life, and of self-acceptance. Through many negative experiences with men, Janie lost sight of who she was. Once she finally finds Tea Cake, she begins to regain self-respect and empowerment. This is a stark contrast to the usual assumptions of the 1930's. During this time, women had been granted voting rights in America in 1920, yet still considered inferior they faced injustice and societal oppression. Zora Neale Hurston’s progressive views of women were shocking. These views are weaved in through Hurston’s stylistic choices. She initially received critical reviews of her work due to its bold nature. It can be inferred that Richard Wright’s review was clouded by bias from society at the time. Zora Neale's inadvertently breaks boundaries through Janie's quest to find love and herself. |
"This is not because there is an esoteric meaning hidden or implied in either of the two novels; but rather because neither of the two novels has a basic idea or theme that lends itself to significant interpretation. Miss Hurston seems to have no desire whatever to move in the direction of serious fiction. . ."
-Richard Wright, For the Masses, 1937
"She had had something quite different in her mind's eye when she was 16. She had wanted 'flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything' and all she got on her second try was position and a one-track husband who was so busy being boss to the town and her that he thought of nothing else."
-Lucille Tompkins, New York Times, 1937 |
Discussion In this video, John Greene discussed the plot of Their Eyes Were Watching God and offers historical context for the writing. He brings up rebuttals to the argument that Janie is empowered but also supports the empowerment argument through reviews and direct quotes from the text.
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