Their Eyes Were Watching God Pear-Tree Analysis

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Pages: 1

In the novel, Hurston utilizes a pear-tree as symbol for the female protagonist of Their Eyes Were Watching God to recast the pastoral relation of women and nature as one of the active empowerment rather than passive subjugation. While this tree metaphorically reflects the growth and liveliness of Hurston’s heroine Janie, the natural environment also has a material effect on the development of vigorous, independent female identities. For Janie Starks, the repressive limitations of man-made buildings are eventually replaced by the boundless opportunities of wild nature. Hurston thus aligns qualities of independence, equality, and fluidity with the nature and suggests that these traits are nurtured by close contact with nature. Moreover, she