Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

In every book, symbols provide ideas that form the overall themes. Janie is represented by multiple object; this helps the reader understand her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, there are many objects like Janie’s hair, the mule, the pear tree, the horizon, and the hurricane that form Janie and help the readers understand who she is. Janie’s hair is one of the most common symbols in the book. Her hair is her. It is what distinctly separates her from everyone else. First off, her hair attracts men. Logan Killicks wants to marry Janie because she is beautiful, and her long, dark hair contributes to that. He is mostly attracted to her because of it. Joe Starks stops and talks to Janie because sheets down her hair. This catches his eye and causes him to want to have her. Tea Cake dreams about Janie’s hair throughout the book. He exclaims, "It’s mine too. Ah ain’t been

She explains how “[s]hips 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” (1). Zora Neale Hurston starts off the book with this idea to show how men always go for a distant goal. Janie is attracted to men who have a goal on the horizon. She leaves Logan for Joe because he has a dream to build up the far away all black town. He is determined to take charge and Janie is attracted to it. Tea Cake plans to work hard to make a good life for her. The horizon that Nannie saw for Janie required her to marry a rich man then sitting on the porch every day. Janie wants to find true love; that is her horizon. She takes the whole book to finally reach that goal. It is quickly followed by Tea Cakes death. However, he made her happy. The horizon pushed Janie to keep