“Their Eyes Were Watching God, an Interesting Read, but Not Convincing”
The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is the theme of someone in search for herself. Janie Crawford was born in the post slave era. Being raised by her grandmother, who was a former slave, Janie desired to live her own life and not be under the subjection of her grandmother’s wishes. In a post-civil war world where many African Americans were living in poverty, her grandmother wanted her to marry a hard-worker that would take care of her and provide well for her. But Janie wanted to search and find out about life her own way, disregarding Society’s standards for the time. In searching for fulfillment, she had two unhappy marriages. It is not until her second husband dies that she finally found true happiness and in essence “found herself.”
The primary conflict in this novel is Janie vs. self. She is battling herself. She knows what Society’s expectations are, find a man, marry him, and stick with him no matter what. But Society’s expectations are not good enough for Janie, she is unhappy and unwilling to be a pack mule for her first husband, Logan Killicks. When the ambitious Joe Sparks comes along, she thinks she will have all of her dreams come true. As time goes on she feels suppressed and angry by Joe’s dominance. He is abusive physically and emotionally to her. He points out all of her flaws and does not look at his own faults. He runs her life and does not allow her to do anything he deems improper for a mayor’s wife. As Joe is dying she begins to realize her freedom. She is no longer under her husband’s bondage and does not care what the townspeople think. She eventually finds fulfillment in a man who is happy with who she is. She finds happiness in who she is.
There are many symbols throughout the story. Three important ones are Janie’s hair, the pear tree, and the hurricane. Janie’s hair symbolizes her power and independence. Joe wanted to keep her in subjection to him, so he made her tie her hair up. When he died she took it down showing that she was once again free and independent. The pear tree symbolizes her idealized view of nature. Everything was grand when the pear tree was blooming because it is peaceful and beautiful. The hurricane symbolizes the harsh and destructive power of nature over them, opposite of the meaning of the pear tree. The hurricane can also show God’s power over them and that he is in control of the weather. These symbols are used throughout the book to show the changes in the strength of Janie’s character.
Hurston entertains us through her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. She shows us the mind of an African American woman searching for her own identity when women were just beginning to gain rights in the 1920s. The character of Janie Crawford is a fairly realistic for the time period as she was looking for a man to help her find fulfillment, but her actions are somewhat unbelievable as she makes the same mistakes over again because of her romantic notions. The reader is lead to pity her for her circumstances, but is left shaking their head in disgust at how she makes her decisions. Her character is inconsistent because she puts up with things in one man that she refuses to put up with in another.
Hurston’s depiction of Eatonville is similar to her experience growing up in the first incorporated black township. There are many parallels between Hurston and the main character of the novel. The novel gives a vivid impression about the life of African American women in the 1920s. It is an interesting read, but the end it is not convincing that a woman is fulfilled with her life.
This novel is rated three out of five stars.
Written By: Anna Stephens
This novel is rated three out of five stars.
Written By: Anna Stephens
