Their Eyes Were Watching God

Rating:
Summary: The Journey
Review: Zora Neale Hurston effectively combines southern black colloquialism with a variety of rhetorical strategies to reveal the emotional and spiritual journey of women as well as the struggles of being an African American woman in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. The main character Janie symbolizes every woman's journey both literally and on a spiritual level. The story begins with Janie's return to Eatonville, Florida and then flashes back to reveal her life story as she tells her friend Phoeby everything that has happened. Janie learns at an early age what her place is in society when her Grandmother tells her "de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up... He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world." This local color reveals the struggle that women have because they are women and especially African American women because not only are they women, but they are also black. This combination presents many obstacles for Janie as well as for African American women today. Janie's childhood escapes her at an early age when her Nanny forces her to marry Logan Killicks and she learns that "marriage did not make love". This change begins both her physical journey and emotional as she discovers her "first dream was dead, so she became a woman." Her physical journey continues as she marries her second husband Joe Starks and they move to the all black community of Eatonville, Florida. While she believes that he treats her better, he is only a small step up from Logan. Joe believes that Janie is there for him to look at and no one else, a sexist male attitude that all women must overcome at some time. A man in the town, Matt Bonner, owns an old beaten down mule which the men of the town all taunt and make fun of and Janie can not stand it. This mule symbolizes women and men's desire to own them and treat them however they wish. Hurston repeats the word "brute" to reinforce the idea that men feel superior to women. Janie slowly lets Joe take over her spirit and after his death, Janie "tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair" symbolizing her spiritual freedom. Janie meets the playful Tea Cake and she comments that she "felt like a child breaking rules" with him which is why she likes it. This simple simile reveals her regaining of innocence and more of her spirit and her journey leads her to Lake Okechobee with Tea Cake. Her encounters with Mrs. Turner show her that she must overcome the stereotypes of African Americans and women. Janie's journey propels her to an emotional low, and finally in the end she completes her spiritual journey and sets her soul free. Zora Neale Hurston captures the southern African American dialect to write an emotional story about a woman's journey. I truly enjoyed this story not only because of the beautiful writing, but also because of the valuable lessons it teaches. I learned not only about Janie, but also about Zora Hurston and surprisingly, myself.

Rating:
Summary: The Quest For Love, A Celebration of Womanhood
Review: Several reviews previous to mine mentioned that as high school students they couldn't understand why this book was considered a classic and what was supposed to be so wonderful about it. I too read the book this year for English and I can tell you why. On an anylytical level, Hurston's imagery is astoundingly beautiful. It mirrors her unique and fesh vision of what it means to be a woman. What Hurston says about the emotional turmoil of Janie, without telling the reader directly is amazing. Part of the strength of this book is it's ability to communicate emotion, to reach out to a reader who is emotionally aware (that's the catch for the readers who didn't comprehend the book) and pull them into Janie's life. Then every symbol, such as Janie's tied up hair, begins to communicate it's meaning in a clear and touching way. This book is amazing, and not enough can be said for it. It is a celebration of true love, of self-revelation, and of what it means to live a dream. I can see why some people might not understand it...at least not in high school.

Rating:
Summary: This Is A Must Read!
Review: Zora Hurston had to experience what she wrote about in "Their Eyes Were Watching God". This book is explosive to have been written at a time where African Americans didn't use the language that Hurston uses. Against all odds, "Their Eyes Are Watching God", is an Award Winning Novel.

With dialect that is not so easy to understand, Hurston keeps your attention with the life story of an African American woman named Janie. The things that Janie was going through years and years ago, not only African American woman, but women of all cultures are still experiencing.

Never knowing what was around the corner, Janie took chance after chance trying to find the true love of her life. Just as women experience today, these men whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and once they get her they use Janie for their own purposes. She's hurt that these men, her husbands keep her in bondage. Through it all, Janie explemfied courage, and wisdom. She knew when it was time to let go and move on. Women were jealous of Janie and her zest for life. They assumed things that were not always true of Janie. To the rescue was Janie's friend Phoeby. Always there with an open ear.

Then one night, it happen, out the blue walked the love of Janie's life. Someone who would love her like we would want to be loved. Mr. Tea Cake....what a name! Tea Cake was the man that Janie had waited so long for. Brushing her hair, teaching her things that only men (at that time) would do, letting the real Janie show.

No it wasn't perfect, but it was a better life than that which she had previously experienced. You know all that glitters isn't gold but bronze was just fine for Janie. The bond that Tea Cake and Janie had was so very special. Through trials and tribulations they stuck together. Tea Cake treasured Janie and even worshiped her. Death separated Janie and Tea Cake and now Janie must find a way to carry on. This book is remarkable and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most beautiful books about joy
Review: This is a truly beautiful book - not perfect, but full of enough glorious examples of prose that make it so wonderful to read. It is the story of Janie, a black woman raised by her grandmother, herself an ex-slave. Much of Janie's being is defined by her relationships with the three men in her life - Killicks, the older man her grandmother marries her off to before she is corrupted; Joe 'Jody' who convinces her to move away but is not all he promises to be; and Tea Cake, a younger man, the love of her life who takes her for herself as an individual, not the rich widow the other men see her as.

Neale Hurston has the language and metaphor to describe many aspects most other writers fumble with - the longing for happiness and the future you believe you deserve; the happiness you can find when you find your soul mate; the inner depths of the soul. Deep, important issues, but dealt with a light and lyrical touch. Despite all that happens to Janie you can't pity her, because she doesn't pity herself after meeting Tea Cake, and has experienced a level of happiness most people never know.

The one thing that can be a bit grating is the dialogue - it is all written as it is pronounced. This was probably the only way to do this authentically, and would have seemed odd if it wasn't, but it was still quite hard going.

Rating:
Summary: Review by Lorilee Robinson
Review: If you read only one book this year, let it be _Their Eyes Were Watching God_. It is one of the only books I've read that I have truly and completely enjoyed. Your interest will be maintained throughout the entire book in this compelling story about the main character, Janie.

Janie's story takes place in the South just after the turn of the 20th century, and Hurston gives powerful descriptions of the race and gender relations of that era. Janie is racially mixed, and the book explores how she is consequently barred from the white world but excluded in many ways from the black world.

At the beginning of her story, Janie remarks, "Ah know exactly what Ah got to tell yuh, but it's hard to know where to start at." Hurston's charming use of dialect serves to enrich the reader's understanding of the character's culture and adds to the novel's atmosphere.

Hurston paints us a world rich with imagery and symbolism of nature, love, and life. You will not be able to resist Hurston's exquisite accounts of the world, as when she writes, "Oh to be a pear tree -_any_ tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! [Janie] was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her."

The most compelling aspect of the novel is the personal journey that Janie goes through. The reader will follow Janie as she embarks on her search for love, with all its disappointments and fulfillments. Janie's experiences teach her about herself and what she wants in life. Through this self-realization, she secures her identity and reaches empowerment. This book will make you cry, it will make you laugh, it will enrage you, but most importantly it will make you _think_.

Rating:
Summary: A Journey Toward Self Discovery
Review: To end my senior year, my English teacher assigned my class to read a book of our choice and to present the novel to the class, thus preparing us all for the dreaded Advanced Placement exam. I must admit that I chose "Their Eyes Were Watching God" simply on account of its length; of course I waited until the last minute to read it. I was expecting it to be another book about the oppression of blacks by whites-I cannot count how many of that theme I have read. I opened the front cover, dreading the next 200 pages. As I began to read, however, I was intrigued. Hurston had created a character, Janie Crawford, who was searching for a voice, for her own identity, a topic that I could actually relate to, especially now, as I head off to college. Janie, like most of my peers, didn't know who she was. She was married early in her teen years and for most of her life had been a trophy wife to Jody, her second husband. Not until she met Tea Cake did she begin to have a chance to discover herself. Originally, all she knew about herself was that she was a woman. Her mulatto background added to the confusion of where she belonged. Although the ending of the book was by no means a happy one, it was bittersweet when Janie realized that she was an individual who did not need a man to be worth something as a human being.
Libby Inchalik '04
Mercy High School

Rating:
Summary: Probably Hurston's greatest gift to world literature
Review: "There Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston, is widely acknowledged as a beloved classic of American literature. This novel is truly one of those great works that remains both entertaining and deeply moving; it is a book for classrooms, for reading groups of all types, and for individual readers.

In "There Eyes," Hurston tells the life story of Janie, an African-American woman. We accompany Janie as she experiences the very different men in her life. Hurston's great dialogue captures both the ongoing "war of the sexes," as well as the truces, joys, and tender moments of male-female relations. But equally important are Janie's relationships with other Black women. There are powerful themes of female bonding, identity, and empowerment which bring an added dimension to this book.

But what really elevates "Their Eyes" to the level of a great classic is Hurston's use of language. This is truly one of the most poetic novels in the American canon. Hurston blends the engaging vernacular speech of her African-American characters with the lovely "standard" English of her narrator, and in both modes creates lines that are just beautiful.

"Their Eyes" captures the universal experiences of pain and happiness, love and loss. And the whole story is told with both humor and compassion. If you haven't read it yet, read it; if you've already read it, read it again.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Piece of Literature
Review: I was assigned this book for and English course and as I had liked vbery few things I was ever told I had to read, I was all set to hate this book. It turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. It is intelligent and witty, sweet and sad. It is a beautiful story even if at sometimes boring. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes to read.

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Summary: Their Eyes Were Watching God Review
Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Noale Hurston is a book about, a woman named, Janie and her experiences on life and love. Janie is a beautiful lady that always has men chasing her. She lived the first 40 years of her life the way other people wanted her to. She lived by other people's rules. After her second husband died this all changed. She met a man named Tea Cake and fell in love. This was the first time Janie ever experienced true love.
I use to feel like Janie. I felt like I was trying to live my life up to everyone else's expectations. This was fine until I realized I was unhappy. I'm also a risk taker in love like Janie. Even though everyone had bad thoughts of Tea Cake and Janie's relationship Janie doesn't care. She went off and married Tea Cake anyways. I would have done the same thing, because no matter what everyone else says you can't help who you love.
This is a great story on life and love. Tea Cake and Janie really loved each other despite what everyone else thought. My favorite part is when he risks his life to save Janie's, and said he would do it again. This shows that Tea Cake has an incredible amount of love for Janie. The dialect is hard to translate sometimes, but it is still a good book.
If you are a person who likes love stories you would like this book. It is very touching, and the love between Janie and Tea Cake is real. I would recommend people to read this book, and see life through Janie's eyes.

Rating:
Summary: B is for Book
Review: Sometimes, a book can leave you breathless. Sometimes, a book can change the way you look at everyday things. Like when, you know, you look at your hand through a kaleidoscope and think, "hey man, that sure doesn't look like MY hand." But deep down, you know it is. Sometimes, a book makes you reexamine everything you thought you knew about life. Well, this isn't one of the times. Yech. It hardly seems fair that God blinded everyone simply because they were looking at him. Seems a bit harsh. Ah well, time for a snack.