Why Does Hurston Believe In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston’s novel was initially met with mixed reviews. While many lauded the book for its rich prose and complex characters, others, particularly her own Afro-American contemporaries, derided it, criticizing its lack of political commentary and her use of common vernacular. Fellow scholar and playwright Richard Wright gave a notably harsh review, claiming that the novels carries “no theme, no message, no thought,” then comparing the book to a minstrel show meant to appease the white audience. According to Wright, Hurston’s characters carry no political weight and instead “swing like a pendulum” in a “safe… orbit… between laughter and tears.” In her own lifetime, Hurston’s novels never sold well, and Their Eyes were Watching God, while noted by many initially for the story’s “warm, vibrant touch,” the public never took much interest in the book. When
Richard Wright wrote that the characters of Hurston’s novel “live… between laughter and tears” as if it were a weakness— but as is seen time and time again, that humanity in the characters is perhaps the novel’s greatest strength. Their Eyes were Watching God serves as a testament to the power of books: one writer’s perspective molds the eyes of the characters, characters who, through a masterful author, possess the power to transform readers, forcing them to examine with their own eyes what the character revels upon himself. Hurston’s novel is definitely not written for one looking for a light read. Belying its mere one hundred some pages, the book sits heavy, probing the mind with questions for which there are no clear answers, and that is arguably where its power lies, not despite of its ambiguity, but for its ambiguity . The fact that so many people can read one book, and that one book can invoke such a diverse array of reaction and thought, however polarizing, speaks volumes to its