Oprah’s Interpretation of the Novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

526 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender Roles The expectations of men and women in society.Traditional Roles

Oprah Winfrey’s interpretation of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God caused a figurative case of the rabies through her Hollywood production. Oprah’s lack of knowledge towards the classic caused her to form a false fairytale romance, along with scarcity of symbolism, and changes in characters and relationships. On top of all of her adjustments, Oprah also made the choice to change the title. Their Eyes Were Watching God went from a reality-depicting novel, to becoming a glistering mockery of a movie production.
Oprah’s interpretation of the central theme in the novel did not align with that of Zora Neale Hurston. Oprah took a classic novel and made a film that completely altered the meaning interpreted by audiences. Oprah made the movie her ideal love story, instead of Janie’s reality. Rather than the movie focusing on Janie’s point of view, Oprah made it from hers. “It was one of the most beautiful, poignant love stories I’d ever read” (Their). Oprah used first person narration to explain what she wanted the viewers to take in, and control what the viewers processed about the film. Altogether, Oprah did incorporate the idea of love, but the true story aimed towards Janie’s venture of liberation. “Janie does find love, but a love story, the novel is not” (Ceptus). The overall meaning of Their Eyes Were Watching God expresses Janie’s freedom in finding her true independence and love. Oprah twisted the genuine meaning of pure, blossoming love, into a sinful love of sexual desires and lust. Janie finds herself through the journey, by lessons learned during her quest to find her true identity. Janie’s confusion of herself lead her down a path of clarity. Oprah’s love story did appeal to the eye, but it did not exhibit Hurston’s ...

... middle of paper ...

...sNotes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Web. 7 May 2014. .
Masaeed, Khaled A, and Rebecca Few. "Zora Neale Hurston." unc-penbroke. Teaching African American Literature , 8 May 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
"Pheoby Watson ." CliffsNotes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Web. 7 May 2014. .
"SparkNotes:Their Eyes Were Watching God: Study Questions & Essay Topics." SparkNotes. Barnes and Nobles , Web. 7 May 2014. .
Their Eyes Were Watching God. Dir. Darnell Martin. Perf. Halle Berry . Harpo Films, 2005. DVD.

Created using MLA Citation Maker on www.oslis.org.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells about the life of Janie Crawford. Janie’s mother, who suffers a tragic moment in her life, resulting in a mental breakdown, is left for her grandmother to take care of her. Throughout Janie’s life, she comes across several different men, all of which end in a horrible way. All the men that Janie married had a different perception of marriage. After the third husband, Janie finally returns to her home. It is at a belief that Janie is seeking someone who she can truly love, and not someone her grandmother chooses for her. Although Janie eventually lives a humble life, Janie’s quest is questionable.

    Read More

  • The Ambiguity Of Janie's Voice In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author takes you on the journey of a woman, Janie, and her search for love, independence, and the pursuit of happiness. This pursuit seems to constantly be disregarded, yet Janie continues to hold on to the potential of grasping all that she desires. In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Hurston illustrates the ambiguity of Janie’s voice; the submissiveness of her silence and the independence she reclaims when regaining her voice. The reclaiming of Janie's independence, in the novel, correlates with the development and maturation Janie undergoes during her self discovery.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    Walker, Kristen. "Feminism Present in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." 7 February 2007. Yahoo Voices. 27 January 2014 .

    Read More

  • The Ain't-half-bad Tea Cake in Their Eyes Were Watching God

    2670 Words  | 6 Pages

    Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Book Analysis

    1804 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey mutilated the classic novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston by turning the movie into a story with no resemblance to the book. Throughout Janie Crawford’s life, love is a dream she wished to achieve. Oprah makes changes to Janie’s character, her marriages, and the differences of symbolism, the change of themes, and the significance of Janie’s childhood which will alter the entire moral of the story. Another difference is the way the townspeople gossip. Oprah changes the point of Janie’s life journey to find herself to a love story.

    Read More

  • Janie and the Pear Tree in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Appiah, K.A. and Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. eds. Zora Neale Hurston: Critical Perspectives Past and Present. New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993.

    Read More

  • Janie’s Courageous Voice in Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through her use of southern black language Zora Neale Hurston illustrates how to live and learn from life’s experiences. Janie, the main character in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a woman who defies what people expect of her and lives her life searching to become a better person. Not easily satisfied with material gain, Janie quickly jumps into a search to find true happiness and love in life. She finally achieves what she has searched for with her third marriage.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays - Janie's Life and the Pear Tree

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story centered on the idea of life cycles.  The experiences that Janie faces and struggles through in her life represent the many cycles that she has been present for.  Each cycle seem to take place with the start of each new relation ship that she faces.  Each relationship that Janie is involved in not just marriages, blooms and withers away like the symbol of Janie's life the pear tree from her childhood.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell It On the Mountain

    2317 Words  | 5 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God. By Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Bantam-Dell, 1937. xv.

    Read More

  • Janie's Metamorphosis in Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1588 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hinton, Kip Austin. "Zora Neale Hurston." Zora Neale Hurston Web Site. Kip Austin Hinton, ed. 07/16/2003. Available at www.1.am/zora

    Read More

  • Janie's Self-Discovery

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...re Watching God’.” The Southern Literacy Journal 17.2 (Spring 1985): 54-66. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Feb. 2011.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching Who?

    2003 Words  | 5 Pages

    Miller, J. Dove. "Movie vs Book: Their Eyes Were Watching God." jdove-miller.hubpages. hubpages, 17 May 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Richard Wright’s Misperception of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God

    2452 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is strange that two of the most prominent artists of the Harlem Renaissance could ever disagree as much as or be as different as Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright. Despite the fact that they are the same color and lived during the same time period, they do not have much else in common. On the one hand is Hurston, a female writer who indulges in black art and culture and creates subtle messages throughout her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. On the other hand is Wright, who is a male writer who demonstrates that whites do not like black people, nor will they ever except for when they are in the condition “…America likes to see the Negro live: between laughter and tears.” Hurston was also a less political writer than Wright. When she did write politically, she was very subtle about stating her beliefs.

    Read More

  • Social Immobility Essay

    2660 Words  | 6 Pages

    Their Eyes were Watching God is set during a time period in the American history where African Americans were still segregated and suppressed by the white supremacist government. Janie Mae Crawford is shown to be born in a family with no male presence, and the women in her family are not married due to their past experiences with men. Her mother and grandmother have suffered and nursed many grievances caused by the men in their lives, such as the rape of the grandmother and Janie's mother. Thus, in order to prevent and eliminate this seemingly consecutive and bad generational history with men, and to ease her own worry about her granddaughter's future, the grand mother decides to marry Janie off despite her objections. This is shown with this quote:

    Read More

  • Women In Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God a story about how Janie reaches a strong sense of self and comes to recognize her independence. But her path toward understanding is not tackle alone. The gender differences that Hurston uses require that males and females provide each other with things that they require but don’t have. Janie sees that fulfilling relationships are shared and based on mutual respect, Hurston demonstrates in Janie’s relat...

    Read More

More about Oprah’s Interpretation of the Novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Open Document