Zora Neale Hurston is the author of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. In this novel the main character, a female protagonist named Janie goes on a journey of self-discovery. Through this journey, Janie fatefully encounters Tea Cake her true love. Tea Cake is an ideal mate for Janie because he helps her achieve freedom. This is displayed In chapter twenty when she is reminiscing about Tea Cake. She declares that “The kiss of his [Tea Cake] memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace”(Hurston 227). It is through Tea Cake’s love and his fate that Janie finds her peace. Janie would have never found this true inner peace without him. Tea Cake treats Janie differently than all her previous spouses. Tea Cake is the first …show more content…
Evidence to support this claim can be found just after the two have their fish fry date within chapter 12. Tea Cake is found “... combing her hair and scratching the dandruff from her scalp”(Hurston 122). Hurston likes to use symbolism and Janie’s hair is a symbol of her power and independence. Here Tea Cake is found enjoying the beauty of her hair, which is a symbol that Tea Cake only encourages her independence not elicit it. Another argument can be made to support the claim Tea Cake is not an ideal mate. In chapter 17 Tea Cake ,who fears he is losing his power over Janie, beats her. “ Being able to whip her reassured him in possession”(Hurston 172). If Tea Cake was the ideal mate for Janie he would not have to beat her to show his power. Domestic violence for whatever reason is not right and an argument can be easily made that this act disqualifies him from being her perfect mate. What is different about Tea Cake is that he did not hit Janie out of malice or hatred. He hit Janie in order to show his possession over her. This is a common thing done in the time period, and that is why Tea Cake is the ideal mate for
Use of Symbolism in Their Eyes Were Watching God Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, objects and symbols recur. Zora Neale Hurston’s writing is full of metaphors that illustrate the complex concepts that are significant in the novel. Hurston’s compelling use of these symbols help clarify the deeper meaning of Janie’s travels, thoughts, and experiences. The author’s tells the story by using copious amounts of symbols, some of which are Janie’s hair, the pear tree, and the horizon
A symbol is an object or an element that represents a meaning or an idea that is beyond its physical form. Symbolism is vital to a story, like the potatoes are to the meat, so to speak. It provides ancillary to the emotional substance of a novel. While reading through Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, there are numerous symbols that come to light, such as the game of checkers and Janie’s hair. Checkers is a game played on an eight by eight square board that seemingly everyone
the natural way of life. Causing mass flooding, heavy, relentless rain, and fierce winds, these storms are often detrimental to the Atlantic south. In Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, many natural aspects of southern life are explored to symbolize the personal growth, aspirations, and
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston continuously utilizes symbolism to reflect Janie’s growth as a woman throughout the novel. As Janie Crawford, the protagonist, goes through her life, her character growth is demonstrated through symbols such as her hair and head rag, and the pear tree. Throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston employs the use of symbolism of Janie’s hair and the pear tree to exhibit Janie’s growth as a character and to further
Many literary works embody the concept and elements of symbolism. It can evoke striking feelings and communicate prominent ideas through its symbolic language. A profound author, Zora Neale Hurston, known for her use of symbolism in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, conveys symbols to communicate the experiences of a beautiful yet determined, black woman named Janie Crawford. Janie endeavors to find her euphoria and her perception of self-recognition and love. What comes with her journey of
Throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford searches for unconditional and fulfilling love. She experiences different degrees of love throughout her life, primarily through her three marriages. As she strives to find her own sense of love and independence, Janie encounters judgement from the townspeople during various points in the novel. In the novel, Zora Neale Hurston uses diction and symbolism in order to prove that one must develop their own
forgotten who built the foundation of this country. America was not built overnight, and the past is not to be suppressed. African Americans seem to slip out of history books. Therefore, many do not know how they contributed to American history. Slaves were skilled, semi-skilled or even unskilled, and they have performed numerous tasks within the United States. They worked on plantations to help out farmers or in the cities with various forms of occupation. Enslaved African labor was essential to the
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston uses wilderness versus civilization to voice her opinion through symbolism, examples in her work revolve primarily around Joe's store and the Everglades. In these events Hurston portrays economics and society in many ways. Hurston unveiled Jody has a very ambitious man, with many goals and large amount of power. He opens a store and becomes mayor all in a short period of time. Being mayor he sets orders and keeps things under his control. Jody was
element of these movements was the use of literature as social protest. Zora Neale Hurston is an author who predominantly wrote through the Great Depression to advocate for equality, specifically for African American women. In her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston employs the symbolization of hair and the motif of speech to substantiate that one must be confident in making decisions to have individual power. When Janie is in a relationship with Joe “Jody” Starks, he restricts the freedom she
Oprah Winfrey’s rendition of Zora Neale Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God changes everything about the book, Zora would not even recognize her own novel. Oprah changes many things, such as Janie’s relationship with many characters throughout the movie. Zora Neale Hurston used many symbols in her novel, Oprah completely disregards these symbols and takes all of them out, while adding her own symbols. Oprah also alters the settings of places in different scenes of the movie. Zora Neale Hurston’s
Their Eyes Were Watching God In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, symbols are implemented to help the readers Identify and understand the leitmotif of the novel. One commonly found symbol is Janie’s hair, which represents her personality, individuality, and character. The state of her hair changes as the novel progresses and Jamie goes through different stages of life, struggling to find true love. Using Jamie’s hair to express her feelings and emotions throughout the novel
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, she utilizes an array of symbolism such as color, the store, and her husbands to solidify the overall theme of independence and individuality. Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered by many a classic American Feminist piece that emphasizes how life was for African Americans post slave era in the early 1900s. One source summarizes the story as, 1 ”a woman's quest for fulfillment and liberation in a society where women are objects to
in everything whether it's clearly seen or not. They are also categorized into groups to be able to see what the true meaning is. Nature and God are both the main symbols in Jane Eyre and in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Nature and God are what both novels mainly focus on they also have other symbols throughout them as well. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” most of the symbols are just about nature and are quick to see. The horizon, the pear tree, the mule, and the hurricane. The horizon to Janie
All novels contain symbolism in one shape or form and the words written on the page often mask a deeper meaning beneath them. Usually, there is an assortment of symbols disguised by a literal meaning that blend in with the scene. Symbols frequently come in the form of nature. Nature, generally having a background position, can be identified as a symbol when it becomes more prominent in a scene. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the symbolism in nature is recurrent throughout the
All novels contain symbolism in one shape or form, masking a deeper meaning beneath the words that are written on the page. Usually, there is an assortment of symbols disguised by a literal meaning that blend in with the scene. Symbols frequently come in the form of nature. Nature, generally being in the background of a scene, becomes more prominent when it is meant to be identified as a symbol. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the symbolism in nature is recurrent throughout