Man vs. Woman
Their Eyes Were Watching God was written in the late 1930's during the Harlem Reniassance; A time when Black Americans began to fight for equality and freedom in the modern age. It was also a time for the fight of Woman's Rights. Their Eyes Were Watching God is certainly a feminist novel because it portrays the strengths of women and the faults of men. Zora Neale Hurston portrays Janie as a strong indepentent woman who is not fond of obedience and can fend for herself. However, she portrays the men in the story as overbearing people who control her as she magnifies the qualities of jealously and anger in men. In the first two paragraphs of the book, she explains the differences between men and women.
"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (Pg. 1)
This quotation also describes the optimizim that women show toward their dreams in contrast with the want for instant gratification that men pursue. It is also an example of foreshadowing. By telling us that women never give up on their dreams and keep on fighting for them; we become aware that Janie will not quit her quest to find love and settle for something less than what she wants.
bergoiata.org
