Zora Neale Hurston's Novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'

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In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author address a central question: “How does one achieve fulfilment?” Hurston analyzes the central question by her main character, Janie’s, experiences and various relationships with narration. Concluding, that a person achieves fulfilment through their struggle in finding a voice and independence. Hurston communicates one of the major themes in the novel effectively while at the same time using shifts and contrasting ideas to cement the purpose of the work.
Hurston argues that fulfilment is achieved through the struggle in finding a voice and independence, she showcases this in the progression of Janie throughout her relationships. At the beginning of the novel the main character’s relationship with her grandmother is seen. Janie’s relationship is almost completely subservient; she never stands up for herself or what she wants and is in constant fear of disappointing her grandmother. In order to comply with her requests, Janie marries a much older man, Logan Killicks. She does this because of her grandmother’s belief that it will provide her with stability and comfort. During the same period of time all Janie hoped for was true love, a possibility that was taken away from her because she lacked the …show more content…
In order to provide the answer and give a reader a better understanding of the work, Hurston uses contrasting ideas, shifts and figurative language throughout to show the change in her character with a narrative styling. Eventually the question is answered with the idea that: fulfillment is achieved through the struggle to find a voice and independence. This allows the author to directly communicate to the reader the main theme of the novel as well as to provide them with a deeper understanding of the importance of the work and how it directly could connect to their
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