Zora Hurston was an African American proto-feminist author who lived during a time when both African Americans and women were not treated equally. Hurston channeled her thirst for women’s dependence from men into her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. One of the many underlying themes in her book is feminism. Zora Hurston, the author of the book, uses Janie to represent aspects of feminism in her book as well as each relationship Janie had to represent her moving closer towards her independence
Their Eyes were watching God The novel ‘Their Eyes were watching God’ was written by African writer Zora Neale Hurston. The novel plays a significant role in underlining the role played by women and their subsequent transformation from being voiceless yet vibrant in their teenage years into being women who have the hands-on their lips about taking charge of their lives. The novel revolves around the main character Janie Crawford’s activities. The novel ‘Their eyes were watching God’ indicates their
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama. She is the fifth of eight children born to two former slaves. Her father’s name is John Hurston and her mother’s name is Lucy Ann (Potts) Hurston. Her father, a pastor, moved them to Florida when her mother died; she was very young at the time. Zora has no memories of Notasulga, having moved to Florida as a toddler. Shortly after that her father remarried; however Zora lived with an assortment of family members for the next few
In 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama, the fifth of eight children. She published her first story at the age of 30 after getting her associate degree at Howard University. Not only that, but she also studied anthropology at Barnard College, earning her bachelor of arts degree. She later tried to earn her Ph.D in anthropology, but failed to show up to class on most days. She did marry twice, but divorced each one shortly after the marriage. Throughout her life, she had published many books
walk. Compare an idea to an image. Exaggerate a concept. Each person has a different poetic style, and each poetic style uses different poetic techniques: personification, simile, hyperbole, imagery, or irony. Zora Neale Hurston reveals her unique poetic style through Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story of Janie Crawford and her journey to finding unconditional, true love. Her journey begins with an arranged marriage to Logan Killicks, a physically unappealing man with a considerable house, to an
Hurston begins the novel by saying, “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. 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. That is the life of men. Now women forget all those things they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly” (page 1). In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, author
Contemporary novels have imposed upon the love tribulations of women, throughout the exploration of genre and the romantic quest. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their eyes were watching God (1978) and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (2000) interplay on the various tribulations of women, throughout the conventions of the romantic quest and the search for identity. The protagonists of both texts are women and experience tribulations of their own, however, unique from the conventional romantic novels of their predecessors
1. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, the main character Janie Crawford experiences many different kinds of love. Throughout her childhood, Janie experienced protective love from her grandmother. When Janie reached the ripe age of 16, her grandmother wanted her to get married. Because of this, she ended up marrying her first husband, Logan Killicks. Just like she did when she was with her grandmother, Janie was the receiver of protective love from her husband. The next type
“I’m a woman…Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” This quote from Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” characterizes the common theme between the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the speech, “Ain’t I a Woman”, by Sojourner Truth, and “Phenomenal Woman”. The common theme between these three different pieces is the idea of a strong, independent woman, which ties into feminism and the concept of being equal to men. Even though these three pieces are each diverse genres, they are
In the novel, Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston there are many hidden symbols. The most important and strongest is the horizon, a glorious symbol portraying Janie’s dream, a lifelong search for true love and happiness. The horizon is created through Janie’s tough experiences seeking to find the future. Hurston suggests, "She searched as much of the world she could and leaned over to gaze up and down the road. Looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world