Sam Watson sat on the porch watching and listening to the people who came by. His beloved wife Phoeby was out with her best friend Janie having a drink at the local bar at Eatonville, at least that’s what he thought until Janie came strolling by the porch alone,without her boyfriend Teacake. Where’s Phoeby? he asked her. I have no idea I haven’t talked to her today she responded. Well that’s a strange thing because she told me that she was having a drink with you down at the bar, she left about an hour ago said Sam. Teacake left to run some arons about an hour ago also she said. Sam and Janie, both being the smart people that they were knew that something fishy was going on.
They went down to the local bar together and neither Teacake nor Phoeby were there. So the two decided to go to Teacake’s place and see if he was there and if he knew where Phoeby might be. To their surprise Teacake was there, but they no longer had to look for Phoeby, the two were having sex in the bedroom. Outraged and broken-hearted, Sam and Janie walked away together thinking of what to do. I can’t believe that Teacake would do this to me. I’ve been married to Phoeby a long time now, and I would have never imagined her betraying me like that. The two of them decided to wait for Phoeby to come back home and ask her a few things, so they went back to the porch and talked. A few hours later Phoeby came home, and the minute that she saw the two of them sitting on the porch, Janie in tears, she knew that they knew her dirty little secret.
Hey guys, what’s happenin? was the only thing that popped into Phoeby’s head. You little bitch I hate you more than anything in this world Janie screamed. The only thing that Sam could do was show his heart-broken face, he had no energy to scream and yell. I’m so sorry, Janie, I didn’t mean any harm Teacake asked me to spend some time with him and then it just sort of happened. What the hell do you mean it just sort of happened? Why did you lie to your husband about where you were going tonight, and why did my boyfriend lie to me about arons?
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is a beautiful African-American woman who wants to explore and find love with a real man. She goes through a few men trying to do this, but at the same time she is unwillingly forced with these men who don’t affiliate with the love she desires. However, when Tea Cake marries Janie she gains self-determination when he expresses his love and affection to her that is qualifying factors of her love expectations. Therefore, Janie learns the value of true love and proves herself as a brave woman.
...ver have been condoned had Joe still been around. Janie can say what she wants and doesn’t have to hide her true feelings. Finally, she can be herself around someone who accepts and encourages who she is. Tea Cake adds excitement and passion to Janie’s life, something that hadn’t ever existed in her previous relationships. Despite how the town feels about the new romance, Janie and Tea Cake leave the town and are bonded by the true love Janie had yearned for since she was a child. Janie finds the future she had always wanted. All because of Joe’s death, Janie became free to live out her own dreams instead of his. She was finally accepted by someone she truly loves and the conflict she faced for so long is over. She has the independence to be who she wants, love who she wants and live how she wants. Joe’s death led her to Tea Cake where she finally found who she was.
the novel, the pear tree symbolizes Janie's idealized vision of love and marriage. The mule, on the other hand, represents the oppression and mistreatment of African Americans during the time period in which the novel is set. The storm symbolizes chaos and upheaval, both in nature and in Janie's personal life. Finally, Janie's journey itself is a symbol of self-discovery and empowerment. As she navigates through different relationships and experiences, she learns more about herself and what she wants out of life.
What we hope for is not always what we need. This is prevalent in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston where the characters have his or her dream crushed for the sake of fate. This is especially true for Janie who strives throughout the novel to have her dream of “the pear tree” realized, and Hurston shows this using a variation of metaphor, imagery, and personification.
Janie and the Pear Tree in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie struggles to find herself and her identity. Throughout the course of the novel she has many different people tell her who she should be and how she should behave, but none of these ideas quite fit Janie. The main people telling Janie who she should be is her grandmother and Janie’s 3 husbands. The people in Janie's life influence her search for identity by teaching her about marriage, hard work, class, society, love and happiness.
...disrespect from Tea Cake. She threatens him, saying if he leaves her again without her permission she will “kill yuh” (124). Within Janie’s past marriages her husbands treat her comparable to a slave and isolate her from the community. Even though her voice is still developing, she will not allow her husband to show her contempt. During the trial, Janie both matures and shows control over her voice, as she faces the horror of retelling the story of Tea Cake’s death to the court room. While giving her testimony, Janie knows when to talk; however, when she is through “she hushed” (187). By expressing and controlling her voice in court, Janie ultimately reveals her new found vocal maturity, but it is only because of her final marriage to Tea Cake that Janie finally develops an understanding of when and how to use her voice.
Zora Neale Hurston an early twentieth century Afro-American feminist author, was raised in a predominately black community which gave her an unique perspective on race relations, evident in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston drew on her on experiences as a feminist Afro-American female to create a story about the magical transformation of Janie, from a young unconfident girl to a thriving woman. Janie experiences many things that make her a compelling character who takes readers along as her companion, on her voyage to discover the mysteries and rewards life has to offer.
Janie sets out on a quest to make sense of inner questions. She does not sit back and
The late first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Hate and force cannot be in just a part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it." Mrs. Roosevelt means that although one person may feel alone through the hardships one faces, one has millions beside oneself who can relate to and understand what one may feel. Zora Neale Hurston shows that even though Janie's family and spouses continue to be abusive and harsh toward Janie, their hate and control left her stronger than before, preparing her for the next challenges thrown at her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the deaths' of close relatives and family positively affect Janie because she tends to become more educated and wiser with each death she overcomes in the obstacles she calls her life.
From the beginning of society, men and women have always been looked at as having different positions in life. Even in the modern advanced world we live in today, there are still many people who believe men and women should be looked at differently. In the work field, on average women are paid amounts lower than men who may be doing the exact same thing. Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston brings about controversy on a mans roles. Janie Crawford relationships with Logan, Joe and Tea Cake each bring out the mens feelings on masculine roles in marital life.
Gender inequality has been a major issue for many centuries now. Societies insist in assigning males and females to different roles in life. The traditional stereotypes and norms for how a male and female should present themselves to the world have not changed much over time. But individuals are more than just their gender and should have the right to act and be treated the way they want. The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Hurston was an African American proto-feminist author who lived during a time when both African Americans and women were not treated equally. Hurston channeled her thirst for women’s dependence from men into her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. One of the many underlying themes in her book is feminism. Zora Hurston, the author of the book, uses Janie to represent aspects of feminism in her book as well as each relationship Janie had to represent her moving closer towards her independence.
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.
Arriving at Lacey’s house I walk to the backdoor letting myself into the house. Lacey was putting on tanning lotion in the kitchen, “Lacey,” I called to her, “my mom wants me to pick up snacks for the beach, do you want to go into town with me?”, “Sure,” she replied, “do you mind if my cousin comes with us?”, “Of course I don’t mind,“ I answered, “but we have to get moving, my dad only left me the car to use ‘til noon.”