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.
