Tansitions in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

The transition from Rationalism to Romanticism and into Realism in American Literature can be seen in Their Eyes Were Watching God in the way that Janie evolves as a woman and falls in love.  Nanny's longing for Janie to live the fairytale love story shows many Americans' open-mindedness to Romanticism.  However, Janie's resistance to getting married represents some Americans' refusal to accept a new way of thinking.  These opposing views on a new time period created a new time period, Romanticism, that was closely followed by another time period, Realism, that was similar to Rationalism.  This resistance to Romanticism accounts for the immediate change back into a more intellectual centered way of life in Realism.

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Nanny's longing for Janie to get married represents some Americans' support of a new time period, Romanticism.  These Americans experienced Rationalism and learned to see the world around them through reasoning and logic.  During this time period, Americans examined their lives and developed their own dreams.  The idea of the self-made man emerged during Rationalism, and many Americans thought that they had their life goals set.  However, these Americans did not obtain a sense of fulfillment from this way of life, and longed for a new way of living where they would feel content even if they didn't achieve their goals.  Their answer that would fill this void of fulfillment was love.  Because of this, American Literature transitioned from Rationalism to Romanticism.  This new time period brought about an interest in nature, heightened emotion and imagination, and a rebellion against social rules.  This new way of life allowed Americans to form relationships that were valuable to them just as their individual endeavors were.  Even though many Americans enjoyed this time period, some still resented the change and wanted to go back to a society where the individual's mind and thoughts were valued over emotion and nature.  Because of this, American Literature transitioned from Romanticism to Realism.  This transition can be seen in Their Eyes Were Watching God in the way that Janie eventually realized that love is not for her and chooses to return to the development of her own character and the pursuing of her dreams.

American Dream in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

In the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God,"by Zora Neale Hurston, the ideal of the American Dream is present in the way that Janie's life develops throughout the book.  Her friend and guardian, Nanny, longs for her to be married.  After months of searching for a candidate for marriage, she finds Logan Killicks, and Janie and Logan get married.  Janie is feeling the pressure from society to be in love with Logan.  The narrator says, "Yes, she would love Logan after they were married.  She could see now way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so.  Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant.  It was just so."  This perspective on marriage portrays the idea that the standard marriage instantly transforms a person's life into perfection.  However, Janie realizes that love takes work, and she is willing to strive for love while developing other aspects of her life that characterize the American Dream.

Through Americans' progression in their lives and progress towards reaching the American Dream, many of them uncovered truths about themselves that were unknown to them before, such as a passion, value, belief, or goal.  Janie is pursuing the dream that is proposed to her by Nannie.  She describes it by saying, "Heah you is wid de onliest organ in town, amongst colored folks, in yo' parlor.  Got a house bought and paid for and sixty acres uh land right on de big road and...Lawd have mussy!  Dat's de very prong all us black women gets hung on.  Dis love!  Dat's just whut's got us pullin' and uh haulin' and sweatin' and doin' from can't see in de mornin' till can't see at night."  Nannie is telling Janie how much she and other colored folks wish to have a husband, a house, and land.  She says that they are willing to work, haul, and sweat to obtain this life, and for them, this is the American Dream.  Janie is on her way to realizing this American Dream when she gets married, but once Nannie dies, Janie begins to reconsider what her own dreams are.  With her support gone, Janie turns to nature to ponder her duty in life and stands outside listening for sources of direction.  As she stands there, the narrator says, "She knew now that marriage did not make love.  Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman."  The author is using Janie as an example to show that even if Americans think they know how their life will turn out and have one life dream, their plan and path can always change.  It is through developing their morals, beliefs, goals, and striving for success that Americans realize their true calling and in life.

Community in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

In my last post, I talked about Americans’ interactions with society and the negative energy and ideas that are a result of this.  The motive for Americans’ interaction with society comes from a need to associate their ideas and beliefs with others so that they feel accepted, supported, and “normal.”  Society portrays a standard of “normal,” however most Americans don’t fit into this mold and therefore do not feel accepted or supported by others.  Because of this, many Americans looked to the people directly surrounding them for examples of living and also for the same values of acceptance, support, and normalcy.  This sense of community is much more welcoming than the ideals of society, and plenty of Americans use this environment to help them sustain success.

In the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston shows the concept of community through the relationship between two women, Pheoby and Janie.  Hurston starts the scene with Pheoby having just arrived at Janie’s house after leaving the clique of women who represent society.  They discuss the habits of the clique, and Pheoby says, “Most of dese zigaboos is so het up over yo’ business till the liable to hurry theyself to Judgement to find out about you if they don’t soon know.”  Pheoby knows that these women will do anything they can to get their hands on other people’s business, and she also knows that they will twist it around and make it sound bad.  Because Pheoby knows how the clique works, she wants to protect her friend, Janie, from getting hurt by them.  She knows Janie has had a rough life and sometimes people need to talk about their experiences.  To keep Janie from telling the clique her entire life story, Pheoby offers to talk to Janie when she says, “It’s hard for me to understand what you mean, de way you tell it.  And then again Ah’m hard of understandin’ sometimes.”  Pheoby’s words reveal that she and Janie have had conversations like these before.  Her willingness to hear Janie’s story again, as well as her desire to understand her better this time show that their relationship is always evolving and she hopes to strengthen it and support Janie more every day.  The pair’s friendship parallels many relationships that are prevalent in communities in America.  Americans look to members of their community for honest advice on business, raising a family, religion, politics, and finance- all components to life in America.  Those relationships that are fostered in communities are like Janie’s and Pheoby’s.  Americans are always trying to help each other succeed and live happy lives.  Society offers criticism that only weakens people’s self-esteem, but people in communities are there to give constructive criticism so that all Americans can experience the benefits and support found in “sibling” relationships.

Society in Their Eyes Were Watching God

For my American Literature project, I am looking at the concept of “siblings” and the relationships that are fostered in society and community.  During America’s early years, many Americans struggled to create new lives for themselves despite the opportunities that the country provided.  Poverty and other setbacks prevented them from achieving their own idea of success, whatever that may be.  For some, success was to own their own business.  Others wanted to have a family of their own, and a few people were simply trying to survive.  Regardless of their goals, Americans realized that they could not attain them by themselves.  They began to turn to their community and society to find sources of support.  From these groups, Americans formed relationships and bonds similar to those of “siblings” which helped them overcome their struggles.  When looking towards society, many Americans saw an unattainable standard of life and so-called “success”.  The glamour and nobility of those few “successful” people who were publicized as the standard of society was not realistic, and it created a false image of the hopes and dreams of Americans. 

In the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the two surroundings, society, and community, are visible.  In the beginning of the book, Hurston introduces a number of characters who fall into one of the different categories.  She establishes the idea of society through a clique of women.  She begins by narrating the “birth” of these women who represent society and how they came to be so bitter by saying:

The skins felt powerful and human.  They became lords of sounds and lesser things.  They passed nations through their mouths.  They sat in judgment.  Seeing the woman as she was made them remember the envy they had stored up from other times…They made burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs.  It was mass cruelty.   A mood came alive.  Words walking without masters; walking altogether like harmony in a song” (1).

Hurston uses these words to formulate a description of the women that perfectly represents the ways and actions of society.  It shows the power that society possesses, and that the things that they have power over are really not of much importance.  She explains that the clique’s spitefulness is a result of their jealousy, and this parallels the way that the people in society project a standard of unrealistic success to others because they too wish to achieve real success and live happy lives, but are unable to.  She reports their harsh words of criticism and judgment and shows how they affect others when she says, “killing tools out of laughs.”  This uncovers the negative result of society’s words upon its members and shows that many peoples’ distress is a result of others' amusement.