Their Eyes Were Watching God

For women of all races, the journey of finding one’s voice has persisted to this day. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie attempts to find her voice in spite of the resistance from men, and occasionally, other women. During her journey to find her voice, the men she encounter, also,…

Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time.” (Hurston, 1) In Their Eyes were Watching…

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston follows the life of Janie Crawford, an African American woman of black and white heritage, as she describes it to her best friend, Pheoby Watson, in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida. As a teenager, Janie watches a bee pollinating a flower on a pear tree…

Authors use novels to show others their own unique views and perspectives of the world. Although this is not just limited to females, enslaved, and/or racially oppressed writers, this essay will focus on them. All of the pieces of writing we read in class were written in various time periods, and the authors came from…

Facing challenges places limits while trying to achieve a goal. In the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Neale Hurston, reveals the limits placed on Janie Crawford’s quest for identity. Although there are many limitations, the attitudes of others and Janie’s sex challenges her the most. The first limit that Janie faces…

Hurston’s use of nature (the pear tree, the ocean, the horizon, the hurricane) functions as both as a plot device and a metaphor. The pear tree is used as plot device in the beginning of the novel when Janie admires its complexity and relates it to a marriage. Her young teenager desires are seen as…

In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Janie have shown many of her traits from being a black girl who lived in a white family backyard with her grandma to a wife of a first and second husband. Janie, the protagonist, is a grand-daughter of an ex-slave grandma, Nanny Crawford, and is…

Throughout the novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” the author, Zora Neale Hurston uses many different symbols to convey specific themes and ideas. One of the most prominent symbols Hurston utilized was how Janie’s hair represents her freedom and individuality. As Janie’s hair is covered and uncovered, her personality and independence change accordingly. When Janie…

Confinement is an obstacle for many women throughout history. Having to conform to society’s standards and tuck your culture away in order to live a fulfilling life is difficult. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford pushes the limits in her community in order to be herself and have pride…

It’s been over eight decades since the release of Their Eyes Were Watching God and the novel is still a critically acclaimed novel in our society. With the utilization of the Southern dialect, depiction of serious themes such as spousal abuse, and the use of an African-American female protagonist that develops as a character throughout…