book

Obstacles in Their Eyes Were Watching God

21 Pages 1201 Words 1557 Views

Throughout the history of African American culture, the pursuit of dreams plays an essential role in self-fulfillment. In several ways an individual's reactions to the perceived obstacles blocking the path towards a dream outline the very character of that person, normally dealing with race. This notion has been evident in black literary works, but Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God gives a different denotation towards this idea. While other classical African American novels such as, To Kill a Mockingbird, deal with racism in society, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," focuses on a young woman’s path to find spiritual fulfillment. The novel follows the life of Janie Crawford and her quest to discover what she wants in life. The story documents her emotional growth and maturity through three marriages. Hurston utilizes vivid imagery through the symbolic significance of metaphors such as the pear tree and bee to suggest that nature teaches Janie the beauty of affection; ultimately representing the idea that happiness and harmony comes not from marriage but from love in which both partners are living a passionate life.   The revelation of the pear tree is Janie’s first awareness of her interior self. It is not only a symbol of love or marriage, but it the figurative moment that really triggers her gradual development as a character. When she first appears in the novel, Janie Crawford is a young a sixteen year old girl, discovering what she wants in life. One spring afternoon, while avoiding chores “[Janie] saw a bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom” and she was so ecstatic when encountering this heavenly delight that she was “summoned to behold a revelation" (Hurston 11). Hurston discusses that Janie is blissfully lying under a pear tree while a bee is gathering pollen from a blossom. She witnesses a perfect moment in nature, full of affectionate energy, passionate interaction, and heavenly harmony. She later on explores the other parts of the scenery just taking in everything. The bee and the blossom symbolize the male and female gathering during inte

Read Full Essay