Their Eyes Were Watching God Cultural Analysis

Do you remember that time in American history when racial segregation was a major problem? Women, African Americans, and many other groups of people were considered inferior. Of course, there were the lucky few that were successful. No matter what, each person is seen differently based on their race, how educated they are, their religion, personal experiences and who they interact with. One of the major factors that help in defining one’s societal stature is interactions with different people.

Zora Neale Hurston was an anthropologist born in 1891 in Alabama during segregation. She attended Howard University to study anthropology and later penned the famous novels “Mules and Men” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Richard Wright, a writer and critic who dropped out of school after ninth grade to pursue writing, made accusations against Nora Neale Hurston’s book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” in 1937. But were Richard Wright's accusations against Mrs. Hurston factual? Although Wright makes these claims against Mrs. Hurston, he is mistaken about her writing showing mockery against the black community and having no thought or theme in her work.

The initially naive quester, Janie, has a quest to marry a man of her grandmother's choice. Janie's grandmother, “[didn't] want no trashy nigger, no breath-and-britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin' [her] body to wipe his foots on” (Hurston 12). Therefore, she thought that the best she can do for Janie is marry her to a “good man” (Hurston 13). Janie has only married her

During the early 20th century, many people have established cultural norms that continue to make others believe that being a certain gender determines what role they have. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, I firmly believe she was able to challenge the ideas of gender and relationships by having Janie argue back to one of her husbands that she had, work in a store, and have the desire to play a board game. At first, Janie mishandled a cigar, and when one of the guys that was in the store saw what she did, he told her husband, Jody, of what had happened. Jody was dissatisfied with what she’d done, so he insulted Janie’s appearance and ability to cut a cigar in front of everyone in the store. In response, Janie said, “Stop mixin’ up mah doings wid mah looks, Jody.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a novel of a person coming into divinity. Through Janie’s tribulations, the reader sees her grow into her own person while gaining power along the way. She becomes connected to nature and disconnected from people. Comparatively to her husbands, whose brashness and force lead them to fall from grace. In their attempt to become divine beings, Janie achieves divinity.

Janie’s determination to find love is a major theme in the movie, Their Eyes Were Watching God. As Janie is continuously hurt by her different husbands, she still doesn’t give up and eventually finds the love she desires. When Janie was forced to marry her first husband, Logan Killicks, she realized that she wasn’t happy and was desperate to leave him. One day a man by the name of Joe Sparks persuades her into running off with him to build a town. Janie thought that Joe was the perfect husband until she realized how controlling and demanding he turns out to be. When Janie tries to leave, Mr. Sparks says, “All you’ll end up is somebody’s good time and then tossed in the ditch.” He says this to make her think feel worthless. Janie goes back to

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is about a young woman that is lost in her own world. She longs to be a part of something and to have “a great journey to the horizons in search of people” (85). Janie Crawford’s journey to the horizon is told as a story to her best friend Phoebe. She experiences three marriages and three communities that “represent increasingly wide circles of experience and opportunities for expression of personal choice” (Crabtree). Their Eyes Were Watching God is an important fiction piece that explores relations throughout black communities and families. It also examines different issues such as, gender and class and these issues bring forth the theme of voice. In Janie’s attempt to find herself, she

On her search for love and self-identity, she eventually emerges as an independent speaker with a narrative of her own. The three men in her life parallel that individuality, each representing different facets of freedom, that of companionship, ownership of voice, and the freedom of choice. Janie’s grandmother pushed her to marry to ensure a life of security that she had not known. Janie’s first marriage was to Logan Killicks, a man nearly forty years older than her.

In 1791 Thomas Paine wrote the book Rights of Man, in which Paine illustrates his thoughts on the unity of the American people. Walter Russell, however, says America "has always been a division of man. There has always been the conqueror and conquered - the master and slave - the ruler and the ruled - the oppressor and the oppressed. There has never been content nor unity. There has been only discontent and disunity". While in the United States there are people similar to Thomas, who believe and strive for freedom and diversity, there are also those who Walter Russell illustrates that promote racism, violence, and disunity. I mostly disagree with Thomas Paine because, while there are times of peace; justice; and concord, there are far greater instances of oppression, privilege, and riots.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford, the protagonist, battles through her vigorous relationships with the people around her. From the beginning of the novel, Janie’s grandmother, otherwise known as Nanny, explains a deeper connection to Janie’s family history. Janie learns that she is the result of a poor black girl being raped by a white school teacher. Because of the many horrors her mother went through with men, Nanny is scared for Janie’s future relationships. Nanny truly only wants the best for Janie, however, she is really making Janie miserable.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston describes the life of Janie Mae Crawford, a mixed black and white woman living in the South during the early 1900’s. Due to her mixed heritage and her gender, Janie struggles to find her place in society, but she becomes determined to find true love. Throughout the novel, Janie develops relationships, both healthy and toxic, that lead her to achieving her ultimate goal of true love. Hurston uses Jamie’s quest for true love to enlighten the reader on the importance of gender equality, the insignificance of social status, and the vile nature of jealousy.

Love is a powerful thing. It is a force within the universe that cannot be dictated or demanded. Love is free. It is not something that can be bought or sold and has no boundaries. Some will experience love several times in their lifetime, while others will search the earth to find it perhaps just once.

At some point in any person’s life he or she will be the victim or victimizer of stereotyping. This all too familiar aspect of society is one of the most unfortunate occurrences in life. For many, the harsh generalizations that stereotypes are based on crush the spirit of free will. Yet there are some brave people who choose to counter these stereotypes and live life as they choose, despite what judgments may come. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character, Janie—an African American woman of the 1930’s, struggles with accepting the stereotypes that affect her life. She tries to fit in with them at the cost of her happiness and self-expression. Through her revelations and life changes that defy these

Zora Neale Hurston had an intriguing life, from surviving a hurricane in the Bahamas to having an affair with a man twenty years her junior. She used these experiences to write a bildungsroman novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, about the colorful life of Janie Mae Crawford. Though the book is guised as a quest for love, the dialogues between the characters demonstrate that it is actually about Janie’s journey to learn how to not adhere to societal expectation.

To find the elusive and coveted treasure of love, a dauntless expedition is untaken into life’s catacombs, scouring through the tunnels and evading the traps that lurk in the shadowy corners. This journey can’t be completed without sorrow and suffering yet the marring of the soul from the journey can break a person’s resolve, ultimately believing that the treasure they once sought was merely a fable. Due to being caught in the trap of despair and hopelessness, survivors mold a chitin from the pain endured in order to shield themselves’ from additional pain, often reluctant to peer their head out of their protective ward. At the same time, by hiding in the confines of a cocoon, they are unable to view the opportunity and take the plunge once more that may finally reward their sacrifice. Janie May Crawford, the protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, in her youth and inexperience goes through many trials and tribulations in the search of love and what it truly is. Janie paints a beautiful and naïve image of love as her dreams and hopes blind her from reality. The experience garnered from her relationships with her three spouses, the illusion of her youth is swept, remolding her painting into its true form.