What Are The Similarities Between Jane Eyre And Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Everything isn't what it seems. You see things all the time but are they really what they seem or are they just symbols for something else? Symbols are used in everything whether it's clearly seen or not. They are also categorized into groups to be able to see what the true meaning is. Nature and God are both the main symbols in Jane Eyre and in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Nature and God are what both novels mainly focus on they also have other symbols throughout them as well.
In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” most of the symbols are just about nature and are quick to see. The horizon, the pear tree, the mule, and the hurricane. The horizon to Janie was that she knew it was possible to get there one day. When the book begins she's married …show more content…

One of the ones that is most obvious is when Jane says "Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea . . . I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters a shore . . . now and then a freshening gale, wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but . . . a counteracting breeze blew off land, and continually drove me back." Jane had just saved Mr. Rochester's life before she said that. She's using the stormy sea to represent the relationship she has with Rochester. Not only does Jane use the ocean as a symbol but so does Rochester. "Your habitual expression in those days, Jane, was . . . not buoyant." The buoyant sea image Rochester used is to symbolize that their relationship if what keeps Jane floating when it comes to her health. We see that the nook begins with Jane's childhood. We read that since she was young she would read books and in one book in particular she was able to relate because she identified with it and it was while reading Bewick's History of British Birds. For young Jane being able to fly above everything everyday of life was a way of escaping the life he had. Bronte not only used birds to symbolize how Jane wanted to escape reality but also how at Lowood nutrition wasn't a major …show more content…

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, God is mentioned in the title but it is not mentioned as much as nature is. But it is mentioned twice in the novel. Both times when God is mentioned it was right before the hurricane had hit them. “The time was past for asking the white folks what to look for through that door. Six eyes were questioning God” They did not know who to question because they knew that the white people didn't know the answer so they turned to God for some last minute answers. Also, they knew that by not leaving like the others did but instead staying like the white people did they did not make the best choice. They were now in danger, suffering, terrified, and had no clue on what to do. The second time that God is mentioned is not far apart from when God is mentioned for the first time. “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.” This was when the hurricane was in front of them and they knew there was nothing left to do. They could have avoided this but they chose not to and ended up suffering. They tried to run but they were no match against it. They turned to God after because they didn't know what else to do. People turn to God as their last option, when they don’t know what to do anymore or when they think their life is about to end. They know that it's not longer what's going to be but what's coming and what's there at the moment. They turn

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