Their Eyes Were Watching God Literary Analysis

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Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1934, is a unique and heartfelt Modern novel that follows the love life of a light-skinned African-American woman, Janie Crawford, during the early 1900s. Hurston includes multiple different types of relationships in the novel, all of which represent Janie’s personal development and search for independence while she looks for true love. This novel is an important piece of feminist literature, being one of the first novels to introduce an attractive woman who is also intelligent, independent and thoughtful, which is both interesting and necessary, being in a time period in which this was uncommon. Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks, comes from a marriage arranged by her grandmother. Logan is said to be an old, unattractive, but hardworking farmer, whom Janie is forced to marry because of his land. Being devoted to his farming lifestyle, Logan expects hard labor and dedication to his…show more content…
Not only focusing on Janie’s character development, but also touching on aspects of real, true love that are often disregarded in society, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells a heartfelt love story and accurately defines what it means to be a woman in the early 1900s. Hurston bravely calls out the misogyny and unrealistic female expectations during this time period and expresses disgust through the main character, making this an important piece of feminist literature, as well. Being published in this specific time period, ideas like this were uncommon and not generally accepted by the public. Hurston brought a strong-willed, independent female protagonist, who was more than just a pretty face or a housekeeper, into Modern literature, which was completely unheard of, which ultimately makes this a significant piece of not only American literature, but Women’s literature,
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