Their Eyes Were Watching God Dialect Analysis

Their eyes were Watching God Use of language and dialect Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabma, but primarily grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville was the first all black town in the United States and is featured heavily in the novel. This may in fact be because Hurston considered Eatonville to be her true home and claimed a few times to be her birthplace. This is because, in 1901, according to A Crticial Companion to Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Reference to her Life and Work by Sharon L. Jones, school teachers from the north visited Eatonville and gave Hurston "a number of books that opened her mind to literature" this may be why she sometimes describes her "birth" as taking place that year [Sharon L. Jones pp 3-4]


A lot of the content in Their Eyes is taken from Zora's own life. Hurston's familiarity of southern life allows her to accurately depict the unique dialect that makes Their Eyes Were Watching God so special. Throughout the novel, she uses an interesting narrative structure. Almost as if she split the presentation of the novel right down the middle, between high literary narrations using proper, refined speech and the southern drawl, the improper grammar and misspellings. Initial
nurture”, as well as God’s role in human everyday life and whether or not it is significant. From the text, we can see more than just the dialog printed on the page. These two are common southern folks in the 1960’s so, obviously they are not too smart or educated. The mangling of the English language makes that quite clear. However, the conviction and the matter-of-fact way they are talking and getting across their opinions, you can tell they truly are in belief of their stance and are very passionate about their ideas and arguments. This gives depth to two minor characters in a way that only Hurston can write, using the unique style she has carved out in the