Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Houston reveals the injustice of life as an African-American female during the early 20th century. Through narration, Houston sheds light upon the ignorance and biased perceptions in the African-American society that help to mold expectations for individuals while also placing limits upon them. Expressing hatred amongst their own elevates the telling of the novels bildungsroman and a woman’s strong desire and belief in her own fate.
The conflict of man vs. society is quickly revealed from the beginning of the novel. Through a recalled account of past life events, the reader is allowed to grasp an understanding of the life of Janie Crawford. Her life’s trials and tribulations have compelled her into the woman she is, a woman of self-determination who has abandoned the idea of the need for a male presence, as a result of three unsuccessful marriages. Coming into her own, Janie battles with society’s ignorant definition of gender roles and relations versus her personal views of self progression and independence. From her financially driven first marriage to the death of her last husband, she has taken on the flaws of others, specifically a man, to help her search for personal happiness, which has only hindered her progression. Janie once took on the same views as society but due to her personal experiences that allowed herself growth, she broke free of the biased, realizing that the development of an individual identity amounts way more than simply compromising for the like of others.
There is an evident reoccurring theme of ignorance throughout the novel. At the center of this ignorance is Janie, as she is ridiculed and poorly judged by her community. As she arrives back home, she is looked down upon because she arrives without the company of her husband. The judgment placed upon her and the gossip that is said is a result of naïve ignorance on both parties, the community and Janie
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Houston reveals the injustice of life as an African-American female during the early 20th century. Through narration, Houston sheds light upon the ignorance and biased perceptions in the African-American society that help to mold expectations for individuals while also placing limits upon them. Expressing hatred amongst their own elevates the telling of the novels bildungsroman and a woman’s strong desire and belief in her own fate.
The conflict of man vs. society is quickly revealed from the beginning of the novel. Through a recalled account of past life events, the reader is allowed to grasp an understanding of the life of Janie Crawford. Her life’s trials and tribulations have compelled her into the woman she is, a woman of self-determination who has abandoned the idea of the need for a male presence, as a result of three unsuccessful marriages. Coming into her own, Janie battles with society’s ignorant definition of gender roles and relations versus her personal views of self progression and independence. From her financially driven first marriage to the death of her last husband, she has taken on the flaws of others, specifically a man, to help her search for personal happiness, which has only hindered her progression. Janie once took on the same views as society but due to her personal experiences that allowed herself growth, she broke free of the biased, realizing that the development of an individual identity amounts way more than simply compromising for the like of others.
There is an evident reoccurring theme of ignorance throughout the novel. At the center of this ignorance is Janie, as she is ridiculed and poorly judged by her community. As she arrives back home, she is looked down upon because she arrives without the company of her husband. The judgment placed upon her and the gossip that is said is a result of naïve ignorance on both parties, the community and Janie