Their Eyes Were Watching God

“How To Read Literature Like A Professor” Outlines many motifs authors use to enhance the text, such as irony, allusion, setting, and so on. These Ideals for writing found in the novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas Foster can be found in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. This essay will focus on the quest, weather, symbolism, and religion, and how these elements are used to make “Their Eyes Were Watching God” a timeless story.
Believe it or not, just about every plot follows the simple skeleton of a stereotypical quest. This skeleton consists of five elements: : “(a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to
Hair is referenced frequently throughout the novel, and ties nearly all of themes present in the novel together. Janie’s long, beautiful hair is a centerpiece of the novel. Jody, her second husband, makes her tie it up, because, “She was in the store for him to look at, not those others.” (Hurston, 55). Janie’s hair is a weapon, a tool to be used against Jody, so he makes her keep it covered, so no one else can have her. It is symbolic of her lack of her free will. However, as it says in the “How To Read Literature Like A Professor”, a symbols meaning isn’t set in stone. (Foster, 98) Hair also represents the separate races of whites and blacks, and the separate classes that come with that. Mrs. Turner’s hair is close to her head, as that is how a stereotypical white woman’s hair is (however she is not white, she is allegedly pretending to be). This shows that being a white women is preferred. This symbol is extended when Tea Cake has to bury victims of the flood. He inquires a guard about how he’s supposed to tell who gets a coffin (because white people are supposed to get one, but not blacks) when they all look black due to the flood. The guard replies, “Look at they hair.” (Hurston, 171). In this instance, hair is a curse. It separates