Their Eyes Were Watching God Close Reading

Reflection:
Although many warned me that Their Eyes Were Watching God wasn't the best of novels to read I decided to read it anyways since my teacher had told me it was her favorite book of all time, it soon turned out that I should have listened to my friends since the story was extremely difficult to read due to the diction. The story's message seemed to be a little repetitive to the other stories I had read in the year about women's rights and the breaking the social contract. Personally I would not recommend this novel to anyone that would like an easy read since I had to read it about 2-3 until I understood each section of the story.

Close Reading:

Analyze and discuss Zora Neale Hurston’s writing themes, style, diction use, symbolism, allusions, etc, in each of the following excerpts from Their Eyes Were Watching God:

#1- Lias asked Tea Cake and Janie whether they want a ride east to safe ground with his uncle and him before the hurricane comes.

“De Indians gahn east, man. It’s dangerous.”

“Dey don’t always know. Indians don’t know much uh nothin’, tuh tell de truth. Else dey’d own dis country still. De white folks ain’t gone nowhere. Deyy oughta know if it’s dangerous. You better stay heah, man, Big jumpin’ dance tuhnight right heah, when it fair off off.”

Lias hesitated and started to climb out, but his uncle wouldn’t let him. “Dis time tumorrer you gointuh wish you follow crow,” he snorted and drove off. Lias waved back to them gaily.

“If Ah never see you no mo’ on earth, Ah’ll meet you in Africa.”

Others hurried east like the Indians and rabbits and snakes and coons. But the majority sat around laughing and waiting for the sun to get friendly again.

#2-Tea Cake and Janie are cuddled up indoors are the hurricane arrives to their town.

The Wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with in the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.