1. Three Marriages in Their Eyes Were Watching God
A person must go through some trials and struggles to find one's true self. Janie, a strong, free-spirited woman, thought she was one way until she had been through some struggles. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie went from Logan, her first husband, to Jody, her second husband, to Tea Cake, her third husband, before she found who she really was. Logan's control over Janie made her feel like she had to do whatever he said. She could not do anything when she was with Jody. However, when she was Now with Tea Cake, Janie was treated as an equal. She was able to be herself and do what she wanted to do and not what others told her to do. Hurston uses symbolism, figurative language, and imagery to reveal how struggles can lead to one discovering his or her true self.
Through symbolism, Hurston shows how Janie found her true self. For example, in the book, Janie's hair symbolizes her identity. Jody, Janie's second husband, caught Walter, a regular in the store, playing with Janie's hair. Walter, the guy at the store, was enjoying "the feel of it on the back of his hand, back and forth without Janie knowing across the loose end of her braid" (55). Since Walter was playing in Janie's hair, which was really valuable to her, Jody saw and got upset. Later that night Jody "ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store" (55). By Jody making Janie tie up her hair, he brought her self-esteem down even further than it was before. After Jody passed away, Janie was able to become herself again. Janie "tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair" (87). She was able to become the strong, free spirited woman she was before.
With figurative language Hurston reveals Janie's true identity. It all started with Nanny, Janie's grandmother, holding her back from doing what she wanted to do. Janie "had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her.
(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). ...
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Neale Hurston uses a technique called symbolism with the characters to create a story. ... She wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God in seven weeks, which was published on September 18, 1937. ... In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston describes the journey of Janie Crawford, the main character, to find herself. ... In their society the rank of people is determined first by their color, and then by their gender. ... In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses symbolism to show how the society and the time...
Their Eyes Were Watching God The protagonist in Their Eyes Were Watching God is named Janie Crawford. ... 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. ... Thus, her hair implies that Janie "had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them"(p.68). ... They got to go to God, and they got tuh find out about livin" fuh theyselves." ...
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses a variety of literary devices; however, Hurston's use of hair to symbolize sexuality is a prevalent theme throughout the novel. ... Various people see Janie's hair as a sexual object. She uses her hair to attract Joe Starks as he is walking down the road; She "made her heavy hair fall down, so he stopped and looked hard" (27). ... This refers to their marriage as a whole, not just his amazement with her hair. ... Zora Neale Hurston effectively uses this device along with several others to enhance the enjoyment of Their Eyes W...
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. ... She lets down her hair and explores who she really is. ...
Her best known novel is Their Eyes Were Watching God (published in 1937), in which she tracked a Southern black woman's search, over 25 years and 3 marriages, for her true identity and a community in which she could develop that identity. ... Zora Neale Hurston's most acclaimed work , Their Eyes Were Watching God, has been read, adored, rejected, reviewed, and badgered by many literary critics and uneducated readers alike. ... This Eatonville native uses unique and illuminative dialect to bring her protagonist and company to vitality, in this coming -of- age' American Southe...
Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie's entire life is one of a journey. ... Janie changes a lot from the beginning to the end of Their Eyes Were Watching God, but the imagery in her life always conjures positive ideas in the mind of the reader. ... In fact, she first sees him through a veil of her hair, and it is her long, luxurious hair that he is first attracted to. ... As soon as he takes his last breath, "she . . . let down her plentiful hair. ... Zora Neale Hurston closes off Their Eyes Were Watching God with one final, poignant image; Janie "[calling] in h...
Huck Finn and Their Eyes Were Watching God Compare and Contrast Essay In Their Eyes Were Watching God and Huck Finn were books about struggles in the lives of 2 young people. ... In Huckleberry Finn and Their Eyes were Watching God had many similar aspects to the book. ... Her hair causes arguments and worry from her husband Joe. Every other man lusts over her nice hair and that causes cacophony in the household and these disputes cause Janie stress. ... These aspects, differences and similarities take a heavy toll in the progress of American Literature and also plays the main point f...