Zora Neale Hurston
Wu Hongzu wrote a deeply detailed essay regarding symbolism found in the Zora Neale Hurston book; Their Eyes Were Watching God published in Theory and Practice in Language Studies (2014). This is a summary of those very ideas, using many of the same quotes he did in order to explain his points.
This essay talks about the development of Janie; a female person of color, through specific symbols. They talked about the use of a pear tree, hair, and most importantly, the mule. It focused primarily on the mule aspect of the novel. By the end of the book, Janie recognizes that she deserves to be respected, but needs to be self-sufficient.
“Their Eyes Were Watching God is widely acclaimed as the best novel by Zora Neale Hurston, and a classic of Afro-American …show more content…
This relates to the book because Janie grows as a women while underneath a pear tree, “she saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver”. Janie desires to be the tree in bloom experiencing a bee, “Oh to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom!” Janie’s relationship with the pear tree grows as she experiences more aspects of woman-hood. After her marriage with Logan ends in devastation, she blossoms herself, and recognizes a need to be treated with respect. “Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree”. The symbolism of the pear tree continues with Jody. This is the marriage where men need to have enough respect for their wife to trust them and give them their own space. “Janie pulled back a long time because [Jody] did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees”. The trilogy of marriages ends with Tea Cake. “[Tea Cake] looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring”. Tea Cake is the first person to both fully value Janie, as well as show her respect and …show more content…
“De nigger woman is de mule of de world so far as Ah can see”. The mule analogy is most prevalent when Janie runs off with Jody for Eatonville where she is expected to sit on the porch and rock back and forth all day for a living. Janie gets totally disrespected here, where she gets told that she shouldn’t think for herself. “Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none themselves”. Janie isn’t just any mule, but actually draws a stark comparison to Matt Bonner’s mule; a stubborn mule who condemns Bonner to ridicule because he can’t control the mule. This is a direct allegory to Janie and Jody’s marriage. Once Jody dies, Janie is able to do as she pleases as she doesn’t have to bear her ‘load’; she’s no longer to bear the load of men and their
This essay talks about the development of Janie; a female person of color, through specific symbols. They talked about the use of a pear tree, hair, and most importantly, the mule. It focused primarily on the mule aspect of the novel. By the end of the book, Janie recognizes that she deserves to be respected, but needs to be self-sufficient.
“Their Eyes Were Watching God is widely acclaimed as the best novel by Zora Neale Hurston, and a classic of Afro-American …show more content…
This relates to the book because Janie grows as a women while underneath a pear tree, “she saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver”. Janie desires to be the tree in bloom experiencing a bee, “Oh to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom!” Janie’s relationship with the pear tree grows as she experiences more aspects of woman-hood. After her marriage with Logan ends in devastation, she blossoms herself, and recognizes a need to be treated with respect. “Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree”. The symbolism of the pear tree continues with Jody. This is the marriage where men need to have enough respect for their wife to trust them and give them their own space. “Janie pulled back a long time because [Jody] did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees”. The trilogy of marriages ends with Tea Cake. “[Tea Cake] looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring”. Tea Cake is the first person to both fully value Janie, as well as show her respect and …show more content…
“De nigger woman is de mule of de world so far as Ah can see”. The mule analogy is most prevalent when Janie runs off with Jody for Eatonville where she is expected to sit on the porch and rock back and forth all day for a living. Janie gets totally disrespected here, where she gets told that she shouldn’t think for herself. “Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none themselves”. Janie isn’t just any mule, but actually draws a stark comparison to Matt Bonner’s mule; a stubborn mule who condemns Bonner to ridicule because he can’t control the mule. This is a direct allegory to Janie and Jody’s marriage. Once Jody dies, Janie is able to do as she pleases as she doesn’t have to bear her ‘load’; she’s no longer to bear the load of men and their