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Their Eyes Were Watching God And Invisible Man Essay

 

            Life has never been easy for African-Americans.
             this country's formation, the African-American culture has .
             been scorned, disrespected and degraded. It wasn't until .
             the middle of the 21st century that African-American .
             culture began to be looked upon in a more tolerant light. .
             This shift came about because of the many talented .
             African-American writers, actors, speakers and activists .
             who worked so hard to gain respect for themselves and their .
             culture. Two writers were on the front lines of this .
             movement, Zora Neale Hurston and Ralph Ellison. Their .
             novels, Invisible Man and Their Eyes Were Watching God, .
             probed deeply into the life and culture of the .
             African-American, something that was practically unheard .
             of. But not only did their novels shed light on the .
             African culture, but they also shifted away from the .
             traditional Romantic style of writing. Instead of focusing .
             on religion or society, these novels focused on .
             self-awareness, pride, and finding happiness. The merit of .
             these novels pervades every page, but can especially be .
             found in the themes, diction, and characterization.
             Both novels shared two similar themes: the pursuit of .
             happiness and self-actualization. These themes had to be .
             dealt with tenderly in an intolerant, white-culture .
             society. Both Hurston and Ellison did this beautifully, in .
             that their stories were not forceful nor preachy, but .
             merely simple, candid tales of the lives of two ordinary .
             African-Americans. Also, both authors refused to make .
             their stories a fairy tale. At the end of each novel, .
             neither Janie nor Invisible Man are as happy as they'd like .
             to be. But, both novels focus not on the bittersweet end, .
             but rather what the characters learned before they reached .
             the end. Janie realized that her strength was in herself .
             and her pride, with or without Tea Cake. And Invisible Man .
             realized that "My problem was that I always tried to go in .
             everyone's way but my own" (pg.


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