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Kimberly Bigelow TEWWG Essay – English Mrs. Laurencot 12/22/09 The book, __Their Eyes Were Watching God__, by Zora Neale Hurston, tells a lot about the human race. In many parts of the book it tells how completely horrible and mean people can be, while on the other hand, it also shows how incredibly selfless humans can be, depending on the situation. The women in this novel are terribly mean to the main character, Janie. They talk behind her back all they can to attempt to pick themselves up. For example, it is shown in Chapter 1 when Lulu Moss says, “She ain’t even worth talkin’ after. She sits high, but she looks low. Dat’s what Ah say ‘bout dese ole women runnin’ after young boys.”(pg. 3) Lulu does not even know the story of what Janie has been through in her life and she still chooses to assume that Janie is immature and is just a bunch of bad news. This happens a lot in our society today. Through bullies in school, in tabloid magazines, people are always trying to drag others down to their low, selfish level. However, in the book, __Their Eyes Were Watching God__, the author portraits how incredibly selfless a person can be. In Chapter 19, the book states, “It was the meanest moment of eternity…She had wanted him to live so much and he was dead.”(pg. 184) This quote shows how much love Janie had for Tea Cake. He was suffering so badly from the rabies disease that she had to take it upon her own hands to end his life for him. It proves just how much you can care for somebody; enough to kill them. This reminds me of another story, __Old Yeller__. In this movie, a boy grows up with his pet dog, Old Yeller. They bond all through their years and eventually the dog gets rabies. The boy’s love for his dog is so great that he ends up having to do the same as Janie had to do for Tea Cake; shoot him to end his misery.

The novel, __Their Eyes Were Watching God__, by Zora Neale Hurston, is an effective piece of literature. The book is executed very artistically and causes the reader to feel emotion. In the novel, symbolism is a big aspect to consider and understand. It allows the reader to think about the author’s intentions and also try to relate. For example, in Chapter 4, the book quotes, “The morning road air was like a new dress. That made her feel the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road and walked on, picking flowers and making a bouquet.”(pg. 32) In this sentence, the author is trying to portrait the character’s feelings of imprisonment through the apron. By untying it and throwing it away, the character is freeing herself. In addition to the symbolism, the author does a fine job of executing the story artistically through personification. A great example of this figural aspect is in Chapter 18, during the hurricane. “The monstropolous beast had left his bed. The two hundred miles an hour wind had loosed his chains. He seized hold of his dikes and ran forward until he met the quarters; uprooted them like grass and rushed on after his supposed-to-be conquerors, rolling the dikes, rolling the houses, rolling the people in the houses along with other timbers. The sea was walking the earth with a heavy heel.”(pg 161-162) From this quote, the reader can feel the horror felt by the characters. Hurston relating the lake to a monster is a great way to appeal to the reader and help them to see just how powerful it was. Throughout the story, the author does a great job in appealing to the reader through their emotions. __Their Eyes Were Watching God__ makes the reader feel joy, sadness, anger, compassion, love, and grief in a successful manner. In Chapter 19, the book quotes, “No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep. Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service. She had to hug him tight for soon he would be gone, and she had to tell him for the last time.” This moment in the book was one of the saddest. It really pulls at the reader’s heartstrings, because it shows the love between the couple and the grief when one leaves the other. Hurston does a magnificent job in expressing the feeling of true agony in the scene.

There are three major points in the book, __Their Eyes Were Watching God__, by Zora Neale Hurston, that I want to reflect on. First, who was my favorite character and why? Secondly, was right to set Janie free in the end? Lastly, why is the book titled __Their Eyes Were Watching God__?