“Death is the greatest gift you never want to receive. It is the great equalizer of mankind. For death knows no name, no race, no social class or status. It is the only way man to enjoy a meaningful existence. For if there were no death, there would be no meaning” by Dan McDaniel. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Death is consistent throughout the book. Death is found throughout the book as an equalizer, it shows that despite people's thoughts that they are better than one another, or that they will not die until they believe that they are ready, however, that is wrong. Death, in this book, does not discriminate, does not wait, and does not care about human-made hierarchies. In Their Eyes Were Watching God. …show more content…
After Joe Starks buys the abused mule, the mule soon dies. “[The mule] had seen Death coming and had stood his ground and fought it like a natural man. He had fought it to the last breath. Naturally he didn’t have time to straighten himself out. Death had to take him like it found him” (Hurston 56). This quote from the book stands to show that Death does not care about where a person is in life whether they be human or animal. Death grabs beings with no regard of the fact that this was mule, an animal considered below a human. Death grabbed the mule just as he grabs Joe Starks later in the book. This shows that Death does not care if a being is human or an animal or whether the animal is considered less than the human. Also, Death makes everyone equal is this is …show more content…
Death, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, unites those perceived as better, or less, than those around them and took those who were not expecting Death and those who embraced it. After the hurricane it is written that, “So the beginning of this was a woman and she had come back from burying the dead. Not the sick and ailing with friends at the pillows and the feet. She had come back from the sodden and the bloated; the sudden dead, their eyes flung wide open in judgement” (1). This passage verifies that Death shows no favoritism nor any emotion to taking anyone who it decides. In the passage it says that the woman comes not from burying those that were dieing, but those that were unprepared and unwilling, showing that it does not discriminate against the old or young or sick and healthy. Death is also an equalizer because all beings have a common ending. “They passed a dead man in a sitting position on a hummock, entirely surrounded by wild animals and snakes. Common danger made common friends. Nothing sought a conquest over the other” (156) When the quote states that “Nothing sought a conquest over the other,” it stands to show that Death makes beings realize that they have a common ending with one another and always have and that is Death when it comes down to it. It shows that Death unties all. It goes to prove that Death does not care about hierarchies, does
There is probably no one, among people, who has not considered death as a subject to think about or the events, people, and spirits that they would face after death. Also, since we were little kids we were asking our parents what death is and what is going to happen after we die. People have always linked death with fear, darkness, depression, and other negative feelings but not with Emily Dickinson, who was a reclusive poet from Massachusetts who was obsessed with death and dying in her tons of writings. She writes “Because I could not stop for Death” and in this particular poem she delivers a really different idea of death and the life after death. In the purpose of doing that, the speaker encounters death which was personalized to be in a form of gentleman suitor who comes to pick her up with his horse-drawn carriage for a unique death date that will last forever. In fact, she seems completely at ease with the gentleman. Additionally, their journey at the beginning seems pretty peaceful; as they pass through the town, she sees normal events such as children who are playing, fields of grain, and a sunset. After this, dusk takes place and the speakers gets chilly because she was not ready for this journey and she did not wear clothes that would make her feel warm. Consequently, readers get the idea that death is not a choice, so when it comes, that is it. Emily Dickinson, in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” uses personification, imagery, and style to deliver her positive and peaceful idea of death and life after death.
In May Miller’s Poem “Death is not Master” the persona explains that death is not the master that will increase the desperation but it is a way to become eternally calm. Many poems on the topic of death explain it as powerful thing that fears the existence of human beings, but Miller’s persona death is a way to achieve eternal serenity. She explains death as something that can end all the worldly tears, desires and tension and transform the human memory into a sculpture which is unaware of tensions. Miller’s persona believes that blocking death will be unfair as it will be a barrier to the everlasting happiness and calmness that lies inside the grave. Miller’s persona is an elaboration of Christian beliefs that death ends all worldly problems
The Harlem Renaissance was all about freedom of expression and the search for one's identity. Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, shows these goals through the main character Janie and her neighbors. Janie freely expressed what she wanted and searched for her identity with her different husbands. Even though Janie was criticized by everyone except her friends, she continued to pursue. She lost everything, but ultimately found her identity. Hurston's writing is both a reflection and a departure from the idea of the Harlem Renaissance.
Throughout history, women conformed to societal expectations of marrying for financial security rather than pursuing a strong emotional relationship. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist Janie struggles to find her autonomy through the ubiquitous scrutiny from others. While transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, Janie’s internal conflicts in self exploration heighten, forcing her to comply to other’s opinions. Once wedded to Tea Cake does Janie finally comprehend her cause of happiness: love. Through Janie’s maturation, Hurston conveys Janie’s deviation away from monetary stability as a source of happiness, but instead finds fulfillment in ardor, which reveals no amount of material wealth ensures a jubilant life.
One of the most important things in life is finding one’s self. Although this may be difficult to achieve, it is necessary. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist, Janie, struggles with finding her true identity. This led to her round and multi-layered character. Janie has trouble finding herself due to other characters depriving her from the opportunities she has; she allows other characters to take advantage of her. Although Janie has a very independent personality in the novel, she is dependent on others to make important decisions for her.
Zora Neale Hurston, through her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was trying to teach her readers that in every relationship there is a dominant person, and a submissive one. Whether the relationship is romantic, or with a friend or acquaintance, there is always a person who is more dominant, and feels more powerful. Power in a relationship is distinguished often between genders, race, and popularity or likeability of people. In these relationships, there is an unbalanced distribution of power because for a long time men were believed to be superior to women, some races are considered inferior to others, and people who are more attractive and well liked will often have the adoration, attention, and support of peers, which provides them with more power in society.
Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, and short story writer and is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston grew up in one of America’s first all-black communities. Growing up in this unique community gave her a sense of independence, freedom and boldness that many African-Americans, especially females, did not have during this time. Growing up in that community distinguished her from other writers of her time, and it is clearly reflected in her work. Hurston wrote many short stories, plays, essays and four published novels. Of all of the works she published and accomplishments she had, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This novel tells the story of Janie Crawford a young African-American girl growing up in
Throughout the book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, a reader is brought through Janie Crawford’s quest to find romantic love, that coincided with her notion that love is a pear tree in blossom. She believes that busy bees, budding blossoms, and large, casted shadow away from the sun is love. Perhaps, this is because because the house the tree was planted in, was bought out of love for Janie, to get her out from “de [sic] white folk’s kitchen” (31). Unfortunately, Janie’s quest for her pear tree, is never quite complete. Her three husbands each fulfilled part of the quota, yet, not the entire tree. The three husbands she had all had qualities that were both admirable and less admirable, as most people tend to have, yet, all of her marriages ended in quite a margin away from a happy ending. An explanation behind her
Love, is what people always find for when they look for in a relationship with any particular individual. They seem to sacrifice for what they feel for a special someone, and it’s just a bond that makes you want to die for. In the fiction novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie the protagonist seems to pursue a quest for true love. With the lessons she experiences throughout her life, she uses the knowledge she has to move forward and finally feels free for once.
The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the journey of Janie, a biracial woman, who, though subjected to gender and racial prejudice, challenges dichotomous truths of the world she lives to find herself and ultimately gain self-autonomy. The feminist author, Zora Neal Hurston, contests these rigid social binarisms by exploring the role of Janie over the course of her three marriages; these relationships form the journey towards finding a “self which is not predicated on oppression” (Clarke).
The biography on Zora Neale Hurston’s life helps me understand her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in many way. For instance, to me, it seems like much of the plot seems to have been inspired by events she may have experienced in real life, or people around her experienced while she was growing up. Not only that, but I believe the dialect is majorly influenced by her early life. It is very hard to write a book in that strong of a Southern dialect, and I believe that Hurston’s background in these types of settings, helped her capture the proper use of the dialect within her novel. It helps me understand why she would’ve chosen this Southern dialect as opposed to any other dialect. She clearly has experience in this field, and the book becomes
Gloria Steinem remarks an incredibly important social issue by saying, “We'll never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.” Her analyzation of the feminism and masculinity problem is right on point, as it is true that the society associates man as the person with power, and the money; By doing so, women automatically becomes the weak one, who has to depend on men. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston leads the readers through a journey of Janie, from her youth to the end of her mid-ages, which usually revolves around her marriages. Hurston, through Janie’s three failed marriages, portray the society's lack of effort to notice the impact of woman in a man achieving his dreams; Society’s connection
from a poor,controlled teenage bride to a strong,proud,independent woman. Janie learns to understand her African American cultural roots and rises above the limitations society places on her because of her heritage. Zora Neale Hurston masterfully uses Janie, the protagonist of the novel, to relay important timeless messages to the reader. One of the most important messages of the novel is the quest for identity and autonomy is easy.
27) but also Bessie Smith seems to be very superior in the poem. Back during the period the book was written women would wait around for men to sweep them off their feet, but Janie is the type of woman to show one what she is capable of what she is willing to do. In the poem, the reader states she is a young woman and is tired of waiting around,
In many cultures all over the world their religions view death in numerous different ways. The author Leslie Marmon Silko depicts this in a short story called “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”. The author herself is of mixed ancestry including Laguna Pueblo Indian, Mexican, and white enabling her to write a short complex story of a culture trying to maintain their own religion when living in a society of what religion is expected and right in others eyes(Literature for Life, 1243). The theme of “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” focuses on death, understanding everyone has different cultures, and respecting others.