REVIEW: ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ is the perfect book to immerse yourself in over the holiday
Looking for a book to read over the holiday break? Look no further than “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston.
Written during the Harlem Renaissance, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is full of meaning, originality and intrigue. It is a book English teachers – and majors – love.
Janie is beautiful. Her father was white and her mother was black, and she was raised by her black grandmother. At a young age, her grandmother sent her off to marry Logan, a man who provides Janie with the financial security that was desirable. Though Logan loves Janie, she doesn’t feel the same for him. When the mighty Joe Starks comes around, she decides to leave Logan and go with him. The runaways marry and find a small town, Eatonville, to call home. Joe – or Jody, as Janie calls him – eventually becomes mayor, powerful and rich. He suppresses Janie’s desires, and from their relationship, Janie eventually learns the power she really has. In Jody’s old age, their relationship is strained and he dies.
Janie, now a widow, is able to take off the headwrap Jody made her wear, bringing every single man in the area to her door. But Janie is deterred by their desire for the money Joe left to her.
But of course, there has to be another love – that would be Tea Cake. Now, Tea Cake is at least 10 years younger than Janie, but he is the one man Janie truly loves. He brings her more freedom than she had previously while married to Jody. From Tea Cake, Janie learns independence and is able to engage in a journey of self discovery. Tea Cake and Janie eventually marry and travel to the Everglades where she finds happiness and is accepted for who she is.
In the Everglades, Tea Cake and Janie get a small house. They work together in the fields and they have a little spat, but there is never a question of their love for each other. A few terrible things happen in the Everglades that will make readers grip the book. A hurricane comes and Tea Cake and Janie and the whole community is forced to run for their lives. Tea Cake and Jane are separated. While Janie finds refuge in a big house, Tea Cake is bitten by a rabid dog and becomes rabid himself. When they make it back to their house, Tea Cake becomes more and more rabid and very dangerous.
Janie grabs the shotgun and shoots Tea Cake. Janie is arrested and given a trial and at that trial, the white judge… I’ll leave that as the synopsis and let you read the book to find out what happens next. I don’t want to ruin that book for you – I’ve said too much as it is.
This book is structured into three different stories. Each story describes a different husband, relationship and love. Traveling through these different stories and relationships allows the reader to understand Janie’s desire for love and the independence she feels she deserves. The flashback setup of the novel allows Janie to reflect on her life. This is different from most of the books I read which is another reason to love this book – it sets it apart from the rest.
Additionally, what makes this book great is the dialogue of broken English. This shows a lack of education on the part of the characters but also characterizes their ability to understand each other.
The dialogue is crucial to understand the black culture, the time period and the people.
Perhaps one of the most notable quotes from the entire novel is when Janie says, “Two things everybody’s gotta do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find about livin’ fuh theyselves.”
This is one of the best books I’ve ever been required to read. It is so interesting to read about the Harlem Renaissance and black culture. There is a lot that will make think. It’s not hard to read and the broken English makes you feel like you are there, inside the book, watching everything unfold. Besides, it’s just a great story.