Nora Zeale Hurston’s novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" can be considered “one of the sexiest, most ‘healthily’ rendered heterosexual love stories in our literature” (Walker, “Zora
Neale Hurston” 88). This paper provides information about the outer contexts of the novel, as well as inductive analyses of the novel. The first part of the paper (Ch. 2-5) reveals information
about the author and the historical and literary context of the time in which Hurston’s novel was published. The second part of the paper (Ch. 6-7) starts off with an analysis of the plot and
characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and then focuses on the theme of Otherness as it occurs in Huston’s novel. The examinations of the concept of “Otherness”, alongside with other
terms such as “Dichotomization” and “Stigma”, will be based on the concepts that Rosenblum and Travis describe in their work The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race,
Sex and Gender, Social Class and Sexual Orientation.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Biographical Data about Zora Neale Hurston – Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist
3. The Historical and Literary Context: Black History from 1890s till 1930s and the Emergence of the Harlem Renaissance
3.1 Racism, Violence and Injustice against Blacks
3.2 Black Mass Migration to the Northern Industrial Centers
3.3 The Black Literary Movement in Hurston’s Time – The Harlem Renaissance
4. Zora Neale Hurston as a Woman and a Writer
5. Hurston’s Reputation among Contemporary Writers and Today – Reviews and Opinions
6. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God – An Analysis
7. Examining “Otherness” in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
7.1 Othering as Affecting Social Class
7.2 Othering as Justifying Jim Crow Segregation
7.3 Anger at and Contentedness with Being Other: How Mrs Turner and Janie Perceive Racism
7.4 Janie – Deliberately Being Other and Associating with Other
8. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to examine the outer contexts of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" while providing an inductive analysis of the text through the lens of the concept of "Otherness." The research questions focus on how societal structures, such as race and social class, shape the protagonist's identity and her search for self-realization.
- The biographical and professional background of Zora Neale Hurston.
- The historical impact of the Harlem Renaissance and Jim Crow-era racial dynamics.
- A literary analysis of Janie Mae Crawford’s journey and narrative voice.
- The application of "Otherness" as a theoretical framework to evaluate social hierarchies and individual nonconformity.
Excerpt from the Book
7.4 Janie – Deliberately Being Other and Associating with Other
Janie’s wish for her kind of self-realization is what makes her really Other, a difference beneath the appearances” which later challenges her environment (cf. Rosenblum/Travis, “Section Four, Framework Essay” 473). It can be maintained that during Janie’s quest, her character develops from the actual “disguised” Other to an open Other. However, first she is merely passive and tries to live according to other people’s demands such as Jody Starks and her grandmother. Her Otherness shines only through through her looks but not her talk; it is only perceivable for the reader who knows that Janie inside herself actually dreams about something else. But gradually in her second marriage, Janie becomes less and less willing to put up with Jody’s behaviour, and she decides not to be silent any more and speak her will. Her oral defense against Jody is the first active step of taking a stand for herself, and marks her being different on the outside, as that was “something that hadn’t been done before” (Hurston, Their Eyes 78). For Jody, Janie’s act evokes “the fear of having a live encounter with alien ‘otherness’” (Rosenblum/Travis, “Section Four, Framework Essay” 473): this is not his submissive wife that is talking to him, but a powerful woman who finally has raised her voice, and in the end is even able to destroy him. After this change in her life, Janie’s preserved memory of the pear tree and her goals in life come outside again, too, and she leaves Eatonville behind with Tea Cake and does not care about what the people say about her “inappropriate” behaviour.
The first time when – aged sixteen – Janie tries to curiously live out herself and kisses the boy from the neighbourhood to experience. Right away, she is restrained in her self-realization and experimenting by her grandmother because such a behavior is unacceptable in Nanny’s eyes. Janie needs to be married, a social institution that would channel her (sexual) behavior. By picking her a husband against Janie’s will, she makes the young woman go into a different – other – direction than Janie probably would have chosen for herself. So, it can be inferred that Janie’s whole life since that point and until meeting Tea Cake is a phase where she herself has played some kind of other Other, hiding her being “somebody else”. And this “somebody” comes out again when Janie finally can realize herself with Tea Cake. Consequently, she now even more appears to the other people as Other because she first has sticked to society’s rules and behaved acceptably, but now she is a non-conformist, fully – and powerfully – living out her individuality.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the paper, detailing the intention to analyze the historical context of Hurston's work and the thematic significance of "Otherness."
2. Biographical Data about Zora Neale Hurston – Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist: This section explores Hurston's life, her roots in Eatonville, and her academic and literary contributions as a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
3. The Historical and Literary Context: Black History from 1890s till 1930s and the Emergence of the Harlem Renaissance: This chapter provides the social backdrop of the time, focusing on racial violence, migration patterns, and the rise of the Black literary movement.
4. Zora Neale Hurston as a Woman and a Writer: This section discusses Hurston's nonconformist lifestyle and how her unique background influenced her creative expression.
5. Hurston’s Reputation among Contemporary Writers and Today – Reviews and Opinions: This chapter reviews the initial critical reception of her work by male contemporaries compared to her later rediscovery and critical acclaim.
6. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God – An Analysis: This chapter offers an analysis of the plot and narrative structure, focusing on Janie Mae Crawford’s quest for identity.
7. Examining “Otherness” in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God: This core section applies the theory of "Otherness" to themes of social class, Jim Crow segregation, and the internal struggle for self-realization.
8. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, asserting that despite the novel's seemingly simple plot, it deeply engages with complex social issues of race and identity.
Keywords
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Otherness, Harlem Renaissance, Janie Mae Crawford, Jim Crow, Social Class, Identity, Race, Self-realization, African American Literature, Racial Identity, Dichotomization, Eatonville, Feminist Criticism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this term paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by examining its historical context and investigating the theme of "Otherness" within the narrative.
Which key thematic fields are discussed in the analysis?
The work explores dichotomies such as male vs. female, black vs. white, rich vs. poor, and the conflict between individual desire and societal conformity.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how Janie Mae Crawford navigates these social obstacles to achieve personal integrity and self-realization, while situating the novel within the historical reality of the early 20th century.
Which theoretical framework does the author apply?
The author uses concepts of "Otherness," "Dichotomization," and "Stigma" as described by Rosenblum and Travis to decode the social dynamics presented in the novel.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers biographical data about the author, historical developments like the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration, and a detailed analysis of the novel's characters and plot.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Essential keywords include Otherness, Harlem Renaissance, Janie Mae Crawford, Jim Crow segregation, and racial identity.
How does the author interpret Janie's relationship with Mrs. Turner?
The author views their interaction as a psychological clash between internalization of negative racial imagery by Mrs. Turner and Janie's final integration and appreciation of diverse black experiences.
What role does the "one-drop rule" play in the text's analysis?
The "one-drop rule" is used to explain the systemic limitations placed on black identity in the South, which Mrs. Turner tries to circumvent through intraracist behavior, contrasting with Janie’s rejection of such social separations.
How is the concept of "Otherness" linked to Janie's personal growth?
The paper argues that Janie’s fight to be herself—often labeled as "Other" by those around her—is the fundamental step in her journey toward self-confidence and integrity.
- Citation du texte
- Christina Gieseler (Auteur), 2007, Zora Neale Hurston and "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/148730
