Their eyes were watching god is a bildungsroman, or a comingofage story, set in the late 1920s and early 1930s in central florida. The other townspeople observe her in judgment and speculate about what has brought her back. The local residents, the porch sitters, gossip about why janie has come back without her husband. Learn all about how the characters in their eyes were watching god such as janie and pheoby contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot.
Janie, tea cake and motor boat stand outside and take in the storm, their eyes watching and questioning god. Their eyes were watching god brings to life a southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of zora neale hurston. Trying to imagine plot summary in their eyes were watching god. Pdf narrative structure and textual architecture in zora neale. May 31, 2017 in zora neal hurstons novel, their eyes were watching god, a woman named janie crawford learns what love truly means to her through the experiences she has with three different men. Their eyes were watching god is a semiautobiographical and historical novel by zora neale hurston. Complete summary of zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god overview and annotation instructions. Their eyes were watching god opens with a focus on judgment, a powerful and prevalent theme in the novel.
Zora neale hurstons novel their eyes were watching god is a famous harlem renaissance novel that examines race and gender issues through the eyes of its main character, janie crawford. Create an image that represents an important moment or set of events for each of the story components. Find a summary of this and each chapter of their eyes were watching god. Check out shmoop s visual take on what its all about. This is the first incorporated black town in america. As janie returns to eatonville after a lengthy absence, the porch sitters treat her especially harshly when talking about her. She writes this novel about a small towns black woman, janie, who lives in eatonville, florida. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of their eyes were watching god and what it means. Their eyes were watching god essay, reflects on the plot, themes, symbols, motifs and overall structure in zora neale hurstons book. There are several clues in the novel that point to the historical context of the time. In the first few pages, janie returns to her hometown of eatonville, florida, after nearly two years absence. This kind of attitude speaks to hurstons rightleaning politics. A teachers guide to zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god 3 note to teachers the questions and activities in this teaching guide were written to support standardsbased instruction.
Zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god explained in just a few minutes. Their eyes were watching god, a cherished american novel set in the early 20th century, was written by an african american woman who engages the reader in a story highlighting the emergence of a. Their eyes were watching god is hurstons bestknown work, a novel that centers around janie, a poor black girl raised in florida by her grandmother, who is always searching for something more. Nanny is teaching her about love and nannys planned future for janie throughout the novel. Their eyes were watching god study guide literature guide.
Her struggle with who she wants to be versus who others expect her to be is a central conflict throughout the novel. Her grandmother only wants janie to have the kinds of things she never had the chance to. The scene in which tea cake, janie and motor boat watch the violent storm embodies this chapters overall exploration of human survival and man versus nature and god. Create a visual plot diagram of their eyes were watching god. Janies story starts with her youth, as a girl in search of great things.
The two make plans to make their relationship know or public at the upcoming sunday church picnic. See a complete list of the characters in their eyes were watching god and indepth analyses of janie mae crawford, tea cake, jody starks, nanny crawford, and mrs. The novel begins when janie returns to eatonville, florida after having left for a significant amount of time. Lippincott, the book is regarded as one of the forerunner texts of 20thcentury africanamerican and american womens literature. A short summary of zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Chapter 1 their eyes were watching god focuses on the experiences of janie crawford, a beautiful and determined fairskinned black woman living in the american south. Their eyes were watching god story structure analysis. Zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god is a novel about finding ones identity and voice. Published in 1937, zora neale hurstons novel their eyes were watching god is regarded as a groundbreaking piece of literature for its exploration of the self through the eyes of janie crawford, a romantic, resilient black woman navigating three marriages in the early 20th century. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god is the second novel of zora neale hurston, a writer and anthropologist associated with the harlem renaissance. Chapter summary for zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god, chapter 1 summary. Their eyes were watching god perfectly combines folklore and literature in the theme of black and female empowerment.
This website revolves around the novel their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston. Their eyes were watching god study guide course hero. Separate the story into the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Plot summary of their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston. A summary of chapters 910 in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Authentic picture of negroes, not in relation to white people but to each other. A chapter 1 zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god opens with a lyrical passage in which janie starks returns to eatonville, where she had previously lived. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston. Their eyes were watching god tells the story of janies passage from repression to spiritual fulfillment as she clashes with the expectations thrust upon her by others.
Set in the unrest of the early 20th century, the novel deals with race relations and hurstons. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. An ageing grandmother marries off her granddaughter almost a child to a middleaged man for securityand she leaves him when she finds that her dreams are dying, and goes. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. This study guide and infographic for zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary. A commentary on selfconstruction in the face of oppression and weighted power dynamics, their eyes were.
Importance of community in their eyes were watching god and sula community is an important concern in both black and womens literature. Plot summary in their eyes were watching god chart. Inspired by the revelation she received as a teenager after watching a blissful union between a bee and flower, janie elevates marriage and love in her mind as the highest achievement, but this ideal is defiled when she. Sep 26, 2011 i loved jonahs gourd vinethought some of her short stories very fineand feel that this measures up to the promise of the early books. This novel is the story of janie crawfords search for love, told, as noted earlier, in the form of a frame. Their eyes were watching god plot summary course hero. According to claire crabtree, there are four major aspects. Their eyes were watching god is the story of janie crawford, told by her best friend pheoby watson, and the three major periods in her life, which relate to her marriages to three extremely different men. It is now firmly established in the literary canon. A comparison of community in hurstons their eyes were. Their eyes were watching god plot summary schoolbytes. With so many new disciplines especially open to the themes and content of hurstons work, their eyes were watching god achieved growing prominence in the last several decades.
At this moment, janie not only tells pheoby that she has reached the horizon but shows it, too. Unfortunately, the novel and its author, zora neale. This website was written by kalley lichty, michael engel, hannah gerry, and heather kelly for northwestern colleges introduction to literature class. The best study guide to their eyes were watching god on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god plot, narrative structure, and point of view plot of the novel exposition the exposition describes janie as a young girl living with her nanny. At the beginning of the novel, the protagonist, janie mae crawford, returns home to eatonville.
Their eyes were watching god is a novel published in 1937 by the africanamerican writer zora neale hurston. Here, we see the phrase that is the namesake of the book. In their eyes were watching god, what kind of god are the eyes of hurstons character watching. The folklore elements were so well immersed that they could easily go unnoticed. The story is told through the eyes of janie crawford, as she relates it to her friend pheoby. She combines an introduction, setting, pattern of arrangement, exposition of primary conflicts, rising action, climax, and resolution to put together a wellorganized, interesting plot. She begins to tell the story of the last twenty years of her life to her best hometown friend, pheoby. It is a story about a middleaged black woman who was not only beautiful but confident in her own right. At this point, janies roles as narrator and protagonist of her story collide, and the narrative comes full circle. Their eyes were watching god led me on a meaningful journey through the adult life of janie crawford, which kept me pondering long after i had finished the. Their eyes were watching god character analysis course hero. Print buy and download the their eyes were watching god book notes. Their eyes were watching god test flashcards quizlet. Have study documents to share about their eyes were watching god.
Their eyes were watching god takes place in the early 1900s, probably somewhere between 1915 and 1935. Detailed analysis of characters in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god is a 1937 novel by africanamerican writer zora neale hurston. Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston. Write a description of each of the steps in the plot diagram. On november 5, 2019, the bbc news listed their eyes were watching god on its list of the 100 most influential novels. There eyes were watching god by emma segaloff on prezi. Zora neale hurstons novel their eyes were watching god is a famous harlem renaissance novel that examines race and gender issues through the. After 9 months janie remarries a commoner, tea cake. Throughout these relationships janie discovers new aspects of the society she lives in, including discrimination because of who she is.
Her neighbors are curious to know where she has been and what has happened to her. Professor kristen over of northeastern illinois university provides an indepth analysis of the plot, characters. The racist and patriarchal nature of american society, what morrison refers to as the master narrative of our culture, places blacks and women and especially black women in a position of powerlessness and. Zora neale hurston was an african american woman who wrote many books and essays about black people between 1920 and the 1950s. Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston plot. Their eyes were watching god summary in a plot diagram. Their eyes were watching god focuses on the experiences of janie crawford, a beautiful and determined fairskinned black woman living in the american south. Through their dialogue, the characters of pheoby, janies. Their eyes were watching god meets the standard for range of reading and level of text complexity for grades 1112. Out of print for almost thirty yearsdue largely to initial audiences rejection of its strong black female protagonisthurstons classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of. Without delay, on first page of the book, hurston substantiates the contrast between men and women by initiating janies quest to reach fruition of her own dreams and presaging the female quest theme throughout.
Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston plot summary. Plot summary of their eyes were watching god novel. Plot summary for their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston, including important events and themes. In their eyes were watching god, hurston celebrates janie as an artist that enriches eatonville and details her selfdiscovery. This narration to pheoby provides the framing for the whole novel. Their eyes were watching god chapter 1 summary course hero. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides.
104 809 1036 931 294 680 762 715 1004 1346 133 943 1344 1502 268 1582 699 875 951 1002 1312 1267 772 1127 1486 775 382 991