Zora Neale Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'

Eduardo Nova
Their Eyes were Watching God
By: Zora Neale Hurston

Topic #3: Explore how Hurston uses elements of nature as a metaphor for Janie's life

Just like a rose, protagonist Janie blossomed into a mature woman of her time who faced many issues such as the prevailing question “what is love?”. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston develops itself through the symbolic renditions that based itself around a secular description of Janie Crawford. The limitless horizon, the blossoming pear tree and the hard working mule all solely represented an idea that built upon the existence of the characters. Starting the novel with a horizon that stood for the perspective of the sky limited love that was hoped to have by many. Janie
Janie had began to wonder about her "blossoming" when she had watched a pear tree bloom moment before she had her first kiss with her love interest Johnny Taylor. Her curiosity took the best of her as Nanny saw "Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a kiss" (Page 29). Janie never learned the true meaning of love so she tried to experience it at first hand. As she sat under the blossoming pear tree she compared herself to it wondering "where were the singing bees for her?" (Page 28). Each time Janie got married she became aware of how she wasn't treated fairly. Janie realized that the relationship with Jody was over before he had died seeing as though he constantly disrespected her character. Janie stated “The bed was no longer a daisy field for her and Joe to play in.”(Page 91). She unknowingly followed Nannies footsteps and looks for husbands that would take care of her, never once wondered if she would be loved. However, it wasn't until Teacakes came along and offered to pay a game of chess (something no one had ever done) that she reached the climax to her blooming (Page 116). Once her last husband (Teacake) had died she had completed her blooming phase and came to the realization that mourning for the dead was long due, it wouldn't bring the dead to life. She instead wore overalls to show a sign of respect to symbolize all that was taught her by
As she grew older she began to resent Nanny for showing her a way of life where what matters is not the emotional but only the economic stability of the person whom she would be spending her life with. A person such as Janie who viewed the world as the blossoming pear tree where she once sat under and questioned her own nature was able to learn not to mourn but to live “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t tuh last no longer’n grief.”(Page 114). Years ago Janie had told herself to wait for her in the looking glass. “The young girl was gone, but a handsome woman had taken her place”(Page 108) the moment where she was able to separate herself from the “weak” animals and children that could not think for themselves. However it was when Nanny had died along with her dream of love that she became