Richard Wright Accuses Hurston: A Literary Analysis

Death has now occurred, the journey to self-actualization can progress by having rebirth take place in outside environments. Janie’s second terrible husband, Jody, had just passed away in their bedroom. This allows her to meet Tea Cake, a novel man with the daring idea to move from Eatonville to the Everglades, a more progressive place. “So the very next morning Janie got ready to pick beans along with Tea Cake. There was a suppressed murmur when she picked up a basket and went to work. She was already getting to be a special case on the muck...Then Tea Cake would help get supper afterwards.” (PAGE).Through the imagery of Janie working in the field, a stereotypical male task, and Tea Cake cooking supper, a female dominated job, Janie and Tea Cake are able to become more
Crushing these constraints will help lead to rebirth and racial equality. Richard Wright, a well-known black artist during the Harlem Renaissance stated “In the main, her novel is not addressed to the Negro, but to a white audience whose chauvinistic tastes she knows how to satisfy.” Here, Wright accuses Hurston of her novel being too aggressive and outside of the norm, although her intention was informing the white population of the black community’s struggle in order to reach racial equality, similar to Janie. Both Hurston and Janie take an aggressive and unusual approach in expressing their feelings, furthering Janie in the process of self-actualization. By breaking these societal norms, Janie is reshaping the mold of love and acceptance to fit her needs for that level on the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as well as fulfilling her needs for attention and therefore boosting her self-esteem. Breaking this stereotype by working outdoors is another part of freedom, and another puzzle piece to reaching