The Symbolism of Janies Hair in Zora Neale Hurstons...

Zora Neale Hurston was known for expressing the facets of African-American culture in her books, but her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God has elements of gender studies as well. Throughout the book, Janie’s life experiences serve as a metaphor for the historical struggle of both women and Black Americans to achieve equal rights, and various symbols throughout the book are significant in this context. Janie’s hair, in particular, is the clearest example of a symbol that represents her power and individuality. Two of the most important instances in which Hurston uses Janie’s hair as a symbol are when Janie’s hair serves as a symbol of Jody Stark’s oppression and when Janie’s hair represents her ability to have greater power than others due to its Caucasian nature. In Janie’s marriage with Jody Starks, her hair is representative of her power when Jody represses it and when he indirectly liberates it by dying. At first, Jody draws Janie in with his own authority, self-confidence, and good looks. Janie seems infatuated with these characteristics; yet, ironically, she comes to loathe them, since she realizes that authority creates an air of condescension, self-confidence causes arrogance, and good looks eventually become mundane. Jody, in addition, seems to be extremely misogynistic and treats women like property. He accordingly believes that oppressing them as he sees fit is an acceptable manner of treatment, which is shown when he forces Janie to constantly wear a head-rag inShow MoreRelatedOprah Had No Eyes to See Her Make a Monstrosity1500 Words   |  6 PagesOprah Had No Eyes to See Her Make a Monstrosity Oprah’s movie did Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, an injustice when Oprah changed the entire purpose of the book. The changes made to characters, relationships, and the effects of symbolism makes the story unrecognizable. Their Eyes Were Watching God transforms into a love story and the title changes which alters the entire plot, even some settings change. Oprah truly slaughtered a work of art and her ignorance of the meaningRead MoreThe Life of American Women in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God895 Words   |  4 PagesZora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is a novel illustrating the life of an African American woman that finds her voice through many trials and tribulations. At the heart of the story, Hurston portrays a protagonist who moves from a passive state to independence, from passive woman with no voice who is dominated by her husband to a woman who can think and act for herself. Hurston ac hieves the greater theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God, of self-expression and independence throughRead More Powerful Symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston1407 Words   |  6 PagesPowerful Symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston       In 1937, upon the first publication of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the most influential black writer of his time, Richard Wright, stated that the novel carries no theme, no message, [and] no thought.   Wrights powerful critique epitomized a nations attitude toward Zora Neale Hurstons second novel. African-American critics read a book that they felt satisfied the white mans stereotype of African-American cultureRead MoreVarious Types Of Literary Devices1182 Words   |  5 Pagesthe early 1900s down in the South, gender roles and their independence was very prominent. Women who were white started to gain more independence, and their low paying jobs gave them a little more freedom. They started to develop their own identity instead of being identified by their husbands. While women who were African Americans did not get the same independence that white women got.They were still being identified based on their husbands, and they still had do all the responsibilities of a mother Read MoreA Womens Search for Identity in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God729 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"It’s uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hurston 192). The theme of identity can be seen throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, of a story of a women’s journey for self-identification. Through symbolic imagery, such as the pear tree, Janie’s hair, and the horizon, Hurston ultimately shows a women’s quest for her identity. As a young teenager, Janie becomes infatuated with the idea of an idealistic romance: â€Å"She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into theRead MoreWhose eyes were watching God?1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhose eyes were watching God? In the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey manipulates events that happened in the book by Zora Neale Hurston. Oprah morphs many relationships in the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God. She changes the role of gender, and also makes changes in Janie’s character strength. Oprah also changes the symbolism in the movie to where some important symbols in the book change to less important roles. Oprah changes many important events in the book Their Eyes WereRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God, Written by Zora Neale Hurston1374 Words   |  6 PagesTheir Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, is a novel about Janie Crawford, a â€Å"light† african american woman living in the 1930’s. Janie’s life is chronicled as she tells her friend her story: a pear tree, a dead mule, three marriages, and a hurricane later the reader and the listener, Phoeby, feels they had â€Å"‘done growed ten feet higher from jus’ listeninâ⠂¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (192) to her story. However, overall Hurston wants the reader to understand that they have to find out about living for themselvesRead MoreOprah Winfrey And The Half Made Movie1490 Words   |  6 Pagesadaptation of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey fails to produce a film that remains authentic to the original work. Janie’s character converts into one that seems entirely different, and her relationships exhibit alterations. Oprah’s fabricated love story completely shadows Zora Neale Hurston’s original theme, as well as her literary devices. The film parades falsified information, which degrades the original content of the novel. In the film version of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah shiftsRead More Female Spirituality and Sexuality Explored Through Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Tell My Horse1647 Words   |  7 PagesZora Neale Hurston, while living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was researching voodoo on the most scholarly level. She was studying with Haiti’s most well known hougans and mambos, or priests and priestesses. At this time she was gathering knowledge about voodoo so she could write the text, Tell My Horse. Also, at this same time Hurston had finished writing, Their Eyes Were Watching God in only seven short weeks. A close reading of this novel provides the reader with a relationship between voodoo andRead MoreComparing Zora Neale Hurston And Jacob Lawrence1809 Words   |  8 PagesA Comparison of Zora Neale Hurston and Jacob Lawrence The Harlem Renaissance was a period most notably known for music and art regarding racial divides. Stemming from this broad observation, though, is a series of ideas, motifs, and influences that would construct the central theme of the era, making the period iconic for the development of African American culture. As this time was one of communication and collaboration, these themes readily overlapped between works. Zora Neale Hurston, in her