The protagonist in Their Eyes Were Watching God is named Janie Crawford. In the novel she narrates her life story to her friend Pheoby Watson. Her life undergoes the process of self-discovery, as she evolves through her experiences with three distinctly different husbands. The novel is not just the story of her quest for a partner but also that of her quest for a secure sense of independence.
As a girl, Janie dreams of "finding a bee for her blossom" under a pear tree at her grandmother's house. The tree symbolizes marriage. When Janie saw a "dust bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom" her youthful idealism leads her to believe this interaction must be similar to the intimacy between lovers, and she wishes to be a pear tree. The image suggests a wholeness, which Janie finds only in the third marriage and relationship to Tea Cake. .
Janie's first marriage to Logan Killicks was mostly due to her grandmother's plans. Janie is forced to marry a man who she cannot love and who mistreats her. The one thing she longs for is to be treated like a lady. When Jody Starks enters her life, he seems to offer the ideal alternative to the dull and practical Logan Killicks. With his ambitious talk, Jody convinces Janie that he will use his desire for success to help her realize her dreams. However, Janie learns that Jody's effort to obtain power only suppresses her. For example, Jody forces her to wear a rag on her head to hide her beautiful hair when she is in public. Janie's hair symbolizes her freedom and is a symbol of the submission Joe demanded of her. Janie surrenders to Joe's will on the outside by wearing the head rag, yet stays strong internally against Joe's abuse. Thus, her hair implies that Janie "had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them"(p.68). After Joe's death, Janie burns all of her head rags in an act of liberation. .
Janie flourishes in her relationship with Tea Cake, as he "teaches her the maiden language all over.
(Their Eyes Were Watching God, Pg.14). ... Finally, Janie concludes that "a marriage does not make love" (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Pg. 24). ... (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Pg.44). ... (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Pg.107). ... (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Pg.140). ...
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a novel about a young girl in search of her dreams. ... However, a large hurricane comes, and they leave in fear of their lives. In the midst of the hurricane, they pray and keep "their eyes watching God." ... Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of hope and faith. ... Zora Neale Hurston writes this novel with such mastery, that Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker says about Their Eyes Were Watching God, "There is no book more important to me than this one." ...
The Search for Happiness in Their Eyes Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God It is human nature to look for happiness. ... The standing in the community means a great deal, just like Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God illustrates. ...
My topic is how the character, Janie, is the true villain in the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God." I have chosen this topic because I believe I can convince the reader that she is the antagonist in the story while others think she is the protagonist. I will support that she didn't truly love any...
Hurston uses a lot of imagery to characterize and distinguish between men and women in "Their eyes were watching god". ... 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." ... Men have their sights set on things they will most likely never accomplish, and hope that their ship will dock and they will be able to live their dream. ... Women on the other hand have their sights set on dreams that are realistic and they don't just wait for their ship to dock, they "act and do...
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the narrator comments that "any man who walks in the way of power and property is bound to meet hate." ... The narrator's commentary in Their Eyes Were Watching God accurately describes how when individuals become wealthy, attitudes towards them change to more hatred, because of feelings of jealousy, despise, and many When Janine met Jody, she had no real idea or care about his wealth. ... Citizens are watching his every move, looking for a flaw so they can hold it against him, and get whatever power they want for their party or for the ideas they hav...
In her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the setting, in which was a black town, was the place where she grew up, Eatonville, Florida. ... Zora Neale is most known for her novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God.... "Their Eyes Where Watching God" is an inspiring and motivating piece of literature. ... She began to give up on Logan and their unhappy marriage. ... Both Jody and Logan were abusive toward Janie, controlling, and thought they know what was best for her. ...
Despite its profound position, the novel Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston has been challenged of its place in high school student's education by parents and educational groups. ... However, Their Eyes were Watching God should contain its place in the high school English curriculum because of two reasons: its significance in American History and the moral of love and self-expression. ... "A parent objected to the novel [Their Eyes were Watching God]'s language and sexual explicitness" (Banned And/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course To...
