Zora Neale Hurston once said, “Happiness is nothing but everyday living seen through a veil.” In post-slavery African American society, this statement was unusual, as society was focused on materialistic values. The “veil” Hurston mentions is a lens used to sift through one’s beliefs; to help one understand that what they have is more important than what they don’t. Hurston alludes the veil in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, in the form of a fish-net, saying “She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it in from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulders" (193). Just like the veil, the “fish-net” allows one to sift through one’s beliefs, deciding what is important and what is not. Essentially, Hurston …show more content…
is arguing that happiness is a Hurston expresses these values in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, through the symbol of the horizon, which she uses as a metaphor for the sifting process one goes through while chasing one’s hopes and dreams. As dreams vary from person to person, so does the meaning of the horizon. To Janie Starks, the horizon symbolizes the point when one can use the veil with ease. To her grandmother, Nanny, the horizon means the opposite, to her, it means that one has climbed the “materialistic hierarchy” and is the envy of others. The dichotomy between these two interpretations of the horizon is evident throughout the novel, and it is evident that Hurston favors one definition over the other. By using Nanny’s restrictive definition of the horizon as a symbol of society, Hurston argues that one must apply Janie’s fluid interpretation of the horizon in order to find happiness. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston uses Nanny’s definition of the horizon as a reflection of society’s materialistic values. After Janie leaves her first husband, Logan, for a man named Joe Starks, they move to the small town of Eatonville, where Joe hopes to become mayor. On the train ride there, Janie contemplates Joe’s way of showing affection. “On the train the next day, Joe didn’t make many speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies” (34). Instead of telling her how he feels, Joe expresses his love for Janie through physical objects. The use of the word “things” suggests coldness and laziness, and contrasts with the more personal “speeches and rhymes”; words that connote thoughtfulness as opposed to emotionlessness. Hurston uses this juxtaposition as a way of emphasizing the barriers created when one is materialistic. The genericism of “things” prevents meaningful connections between people, instead allowing shallowness to thrive. Hurston uses the negative effect Nanny’s horizon had on Janie to argue against the glorification of materialism. While Janie is reflecting on her early life with Nanny, she remembers the influence Nanny had on her dreams, saying, “She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people… But she had been whipped like a cur dog and run off down a back road after things” (89). Hurston made a deliberate choice in using the word “horizons” instead of the singular horizon, meant to stress the point that many different interpretations of the horizon exist, and the one must go on one’s own “great journey” in order to find the interpretation that will elicit happiness. Additionally, Hurston’s decision to italicize the words “people” and “things” are meant to juxtapose the two ideas. By associating negative images of the whipped cur dog with things, Hurston argues that valuing materialism over personalism leads people down a “back road” and hinders them in their pursuit of happiness. Nanny’s overbearing influence on Janie caused her to go down the wrong path, pushing her severely off course in her journey to the horizon. Hurston elicits more positive images from the first half of the quote, and in doing so, tells the reader which of the italicized terms she prefers. At the beginning of her journey, Janie’s non-existent identity places her in a vulnerable position, allowing her perspective to be negatively influenced by others, namely Nanny.
During her marriage to Joe, Janie reflects on how Nanny’s strict upbringing has influenced her life and concludes that “Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon-- for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still a little way beyond you, and pinned it in...” (89). Hurston emphasizes the vastness of the horizon as a way of alluding to the countless possibilities it holds. In saying that Nanny “pinned it in”, Hurston argues that Nanny was too narrow-minded to appreciate the opportunity held by the horizon, scared of the freedom it held. Nanny breeds this fear in Janie by imposing her own values on her without allowing Janie to discover what was important for her. Clogging the horizon provided the control she inherently craved, a desire implanted in her by the materialistic beliefs she held. A smaller horizon made Nanny feel as though she was closer to achieving her dreams, but in reality, all it did was narrow her options. By clogging the horizon and its limitless possibilities, Nanny clogged her “veil” as well, making it more difficult to sift through (what she valued in life?) good and
bad. It’s evident that Janie still retains the values ingrained in her from a young age when she meets Joe. While working outside the home she shared with then-husband Logan, Joe approached Janie, telling her, “A pretty doll-baby lak you is meant to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yo’self…” (29). Flattered, Janie takes this as a compliment, when it is in fact, an insult. Hurston throws words like “pretty” and “doll-baby” together to illustrate Joe’s demeaning manner towards Janie. Both words connote images of childishness and, in particular, the word “doll” connotes possessiveness. Joe doesn’t see Janie as a person, he only sees her beauty, and the effect it will have on his social standing. He doesn’t care for Janie, only concerned with adding another trophy to his collection. Janie’s “veil”, clogged with Nanny’s deluded views restricts her ability to interpret others’ actions By the end of her journey, Janie realizes that the materialistic values of society do not lead to happiness, and that people must define the horizon based on their own values. After Joe dies, a man 20 years younger than Janie, Tea Cake, seduces her, and they plan to move to the city together. Concerned about Tea Cake’s motives, Janie’s friend Pheobe attempts to talk her out of the move, but Janie responds, “Dis ain’t no business proposition, and no race after property and titles. Dis is uh love game” (114). Hurston uses imagery of racing after “property and titles” to symbolize Nanny’s influence on Janie and how she rejects it. With both Logan and Joe, Janie attempted to follow the materialistic path set for her by Nanny. However, as she reflected on her time spent trying to reach the horizon, Janie’s “veil” cleared, helping her understand what she truly valued. Tea Cake served as a representation of Janie’s self revelation, and helped guide her in her choice to focus on the “love game”. Logan and Joe, both representations of materialism, were metaphors for the unattainable horizon Nanny idolized. Hurston’s decision to use the words “game” and “race” was interesting, as the two words both connote competition, but “game” is much more lighthearted than “race” in tone. This dichotomy represents Janie’s shift in mentality, as she moved away from Nanny’s influence. Ultimately, Hurston believes that one must shed society’s materialistic values to achieve happiness, demonstrated through her juxtaposition of Nanny’s and Janie’s horizons. Portraying Nanny’s interpretation of the horizon as restrictive, Hurston advocates the use of Janie’s definition as a means of evaluating one’s decisions, even outside the confines of the novel through the metaphor of the “veil”. As American students search for meaning in lives defined by the college they attend, Hurston’s message resonates strongly with a generation so focused on what society expects of them that they don’t take time to think about what they want for themselves. Their struggle to find happiness mirrors Janie’s, the influence of society representing Nanny and her warped dreams for Janie. Were Hurston alive today, she would insist these students unclog their “veils”
What is one’s idea of the perfect marriage? In Zora Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie has a total of three marriages and her best marriage was to Tea Cake. Janie’s worst and longest marriage was to Joe Starks where she lost her dream and was never happy. The key to a strong marriage is equality between each other because in Janie’s marriage to Joe she was not treated equally, lost apart of herself and was emotionally abused, but her and Tea Cake's marriage was based on equality and she was able to fully be herself.
In the beginning years of Janie’s life, there were two people who she is dependent on. Her grandmother is Nanny, and her first husband is named Logan Killicks. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, “Janie, an attractive woman with long hair, born without benefit of clergy, is her heroine” (Forrest). Janie’s grandmother felt that Janie needs someone to depend on before she dies and Janie could no longer depend on her. In the beginning, Janie is very against the marriage. Nanny replied with, “’Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, its protection. ...He done spared me...a few days longer till Ah see you safe in life” (Hurston 18). Nanny is sure to remind Janie that she needs a man in her life for safety, thus making Janie go through life with that thought process.
Zora Hurston’s novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” depicts the journey of a young woman named Janie Crawford’s journey to finding real love. Her life begins with a romantic and ideal view on love. After Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, soon grows fearful of Janie’s newfound sexuality and quickly marries Janie off to Logan Killicks, an older land owner with his own farm. Janie quickly grows tired of Logan and how he works her like a slave instead of treating her as a wife and runs away with Joe Starks. Joe is older than Janie but younger than Logan and sweet talks Janie into marring him and soon Joe becomes the mayor of an all African American town called Eatonville. Soon Joe begins to force Janie to hide not only her
As Janie is growing up she has to learn to accept her Nanny’s belief of how a woman is supposed to live in society. Nanny grew up in slavery so she believes that the role of men is to support his wife financially. Nanny thinks Janie should marry a man according to how successful he is and Janie should keep up the household responsibilities. Janie’s grandmother said, “Ah been waitin’ a long time, Janie, but nothin’ Ah I
Of least significance to Janie is her first husband, Logan Killicks. Hurston uses pathos to show that Janie and her first husband are not meant to be even though society thinks otherwise. Nanny thinks that Logan is really made for Janie, but Janie doesn’t love Logan. Janie tells Nanny, “Cause you told me Ah
It’s no wonder that “[t]he hurricane scene in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a famous one and [that] other writers have used it in an effort to signify on Hurston” (Mills, “Hurston”). The final, climactic portion of this scene acts as the central metaphor of the novel and illustrates the pivotal interactions that Janie, the protagonist, has with her Nanny and each of her three husbands. In each relationship, Janie tries to “’go tuh God, and…find out about livin’ fuh [herself]’” (192). She does this by approaching each surrogate parental figure as one would go to God, the Father; she offers her faith and obedience to them and receives their definitions of love and protection in return. When they threaten to annihilate and hush her with these definitions, however, she uses her voice and fights to save her dream and her life. Hurston shows how Janie’s parental figures transform into metaphorical hurricanes, how a literal hurricane transforms into a metaphorical representation of Janie’s parental figures, and how Janie survives all five hurricanes.
Janie's outlook on life stems from the system of beliefs that her grandmother, Nanny instills in her during life. These beliefs include how women should act in a society and in a marriage. Nanny and her daughter, Janie's mother, were both raped and left with bastard children, this experience is the catalyst for Nanny’s desire to see Janie be married of to a well-to-do gentleman. She desires to see Janie married off to a well to do gentleman because she wants to see that Janie is well cared for throughout her life.
It is human nature to seek out answers and solutions to the unknown. Humans constantly create definitions for complex ideas in order to establish a sense of truth and understanding. However, not everything has one definite answer. Zora Neale Hurston proves this notion in her most popular narrative, Their Eyes Were Watching God. In her novel, Hurston uses Janie’s three husbands to reveal that happiness cannot be defined by a society nor a single individual; true happiness is different for everyone and must be sought out.
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” From the moment one is born, one begins to form their identity through moments and experiences that occur throughout the years. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie’s identity of independence arises through her past marriages through the words and actions of her husbands.
The role of women in a black society is a major theme of this novel. Many women help demonstrate Hurston's ideas. Hurston uses Janie's grandmother, Nanny, to show one extreme of women in a black society, the women who follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. Nanny is stuck in the past. She still believes in all the things that used to be, and wants to keep things the way they were, but also desires a better life for her granddaughter than she had. When Nanny catc...
“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.
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 Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, nature is used to tell and help visualize Janie’s story. Each of the objects symbolizes certain aspects of Janie’s life and connects to her experiences. These ideas are portrayed through nature: the pear tree, the bee and flower, and the sun and horizon are all examples in the story. While all of these show the beauty in nature, the destruction it can cause is shown through the hurricane. Nature is shown as both a beautiful and destructive force to convey the connection it has with life.
Hurston’s Nanny has seen a lot of trouble in her life. Once a slave, Nanny tells of being raped by her master, an act from which Janie’s mother was brought into the world. With a crushing sense of personal sacrifice, Nanny tells sixteen-year-old Janie of hiding the light skinned baby from an angry, betrayed slave master’s wife. Young Janie listens to Nanny’s troubles thoughtfully, but Hurston subtly lets the reader know that Nanny’s stern, embittered world view does not have much to do with Ja...
“Running blind in truth. I’ma rains on this bitter love. Tell the sweet I’m new… Freedom! I can’t move. Freedom, cut me loose...I break chains all by myself. Won’t let my freedom rot in hell.” In her song “Freedom,” Beyoncé, notable American musician, describes the relationships between love, freedom, and self-fulfillment. She explains if someone is in a “bitter love,” they can not be autonomous until they liberate themselves from the negative constraints and exercise their right to choose. These relationships may be commonly seen in modern-day pop culture but they are distinctly conveyed in the 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.