AP En g l i s h : Li t e r a t u r e a n d Co m p o s i t i o n Nam e s _____________________________________ Ma jor W or k s Da t a S h e e t Bio graph ic al in fo rm at io n abo u t t h e au t h o r: Tit le : _________Th eir Ey es W ere W a tch in g God _______ Au t h o r: ____________Zor a Nea le Hu r s t on ___________ Dat e o f Pu blic at io n : ___________1 9 3 7 ______________ Ge n re : ___________n ovel___________________________ ____________________________________________________ His t o ric al in fo rm at io n abo u t t h e pe rio d o f pu blic at io n : The decade of the "roaring twenties," a pivotal and turbulent one in American history, was also a period of unprecedented flowering of Black culture, encompassing literature, the visual and plastic arts, as well as the performing arts. Harlem, an area in upper Manhattan where the Black community had been residing since the beginning of the century, became the epicenter of Black cultural life. Life a magnet, Harlem's fame also drew aspiring Black writers from all over the United States and the West Indies into its precincts. For almost two decades (19171935), they supplied art to the world. Many southern rural Black Americans came to Harlem in search of economic opportunity and a haven from racial oppression. They brought with them the wealth of oral tradition, regional speech patterns, and rhythms, including the blues and jazz. Black magazines Opportunity and Crisis provided the stimulus for literary competitions. Bu t t h e gr ea t es t s t im u lu s wa s t h e ext r a or d in a r y wea lt h of t a len t com p r es s ed in t o a s m a ll s ect ion of t h e b ig cit y. S ou rce: w w w .d a rth eth erin gton .com / Ha rlem Ren a is s a n ce.h tm l Hurston was born in Eatonville, Florida, to John Hurston, a carpenter and Baptist preacher, and Lucy Ann Potts Hurston, a former country school teacher. In 1918 she graduated from Morgan Academy and entered Howard University. Hurston's first short story was published in Stylus, Howard University's literary magazine. She was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance, associating with such writers as W. E. B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay. She received a scholarship to Barnard College where she majored in anthropology. From 1927 to 1931 with the financial assistance of Charlotte Osgood Mason, Hurston traveled throughout the South collecting African American folklore. In 1934 her first novel Jonah's Gourd Vine, was published. In 1936 and 1938 Hurston received Guggenheim Fellow-ships to collect folklore. Throughout her writing career she held a variety of jobs: teaching, writing for a newspaper, and housekeeping. In 1960 Hurston died in poverty and was buried in a segregated cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida. In 1973, Alice Walker had a tombstone erected on her grave. Source: www.smeadowsishandsome.org/aZoraBorealis ___________________________________________ Ch arac t e ris t ic s o f t h e ge n re : Fiction Plo t S u m m ary : Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of Janie Crawford, a black woman in Florida, as she searches for love and contentment. The novel is a frame-tale; Janie tells her friend Pheoby what has happened to her and tells Pheoby to pass the story on to others in Eatonville, Florida, where Janie is living. Janie was raised by her grandmother Nanny after Leafy, her mother (and Nanny's daughter by her slaveowner) was raped by the schoolteacher and left town. They live with a white family, the Washburns, and help care for the family and the house. When Janie is sixteen, Nanny sees her kissing Johnny Taylor and decides that it is time for Janie to marry. She arranges it with Logan Killicks, a thirty-year-old man in town, who owns property, a mule, and an organ. A former slave, Nanny does not want Janie to live a life of poverty. Logan, however, treats Janie like a servant. Janie meets Joe (also called Jody) one day near the house and decides to leave Logan and go with Joe. Joe and Janie marry and travel to Eatonville, a new black town, and there Joe buys land and builds the town's general store. For all his promises for the future, Joe treats Janie like a servant as well, assigning her to work in the store and not allowing her to participate in the conversations that take place on the porch. He also tells her to cover her hair so that other men will not have the chance to admire it. Joe wants Janie to behave as "the mayor's wife" and be above the daily comings and goings in the town. The marriage becomes a shell, and Janie learns to keep important feelings and thoughts inside. After twenty years of marriage, Joe dies. A man named Vergible (Tea Cake) Woods arrives in town one day. Younger than Janie by more than ten years, Tea Cake's playful and irreverent attitude appeals to Janie. He teaches her to play checkers, fish, and shoot. She decides to leave Eatonville and go with him to the Florida Everglades where they will work on the muck, planting and picking beans. They spend two happy years there. A hurricane passes through the Everglades, and Janie and Tea Cake try to outrun it. In trying to protect Janie during their escape, Tea Cake is bitten by a rabid dog and develops rabies. The illness makes him mean and irrational. He tries to shoot her, and she kills him in self-defense. She is tried for murder and acquitted. She decides to return to Eatonville and tell her story to Pheoby. She does. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Quality Paperback Books, 1990. Majo r Wo rk s Dat a S h e e t Memorable Quotation Page 2 Significance "She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels" (72). This quotation (from the narrator) explains Janie’s nature in her first marriage. She is symbolized as, literally, being in a rut. "To my thinkin' mourning oughtn't tuh last no longer'n grief" (89). Here, Janie reflects on her lack of sadness about the death of Mr. Starks, who was her dead husband, but not someone she mourned. She stops acting sad because she does not feel it. "Janie looked down on him and felt a selfcrushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place" (122). This explanation of Janie’s feelings for Tea Cake show that she is willing to risk herself for him – growth for her and a new sensation to her (that she can feel such utter devotion). "They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (151). This quotation explains the title of the book. While the quotation itself is from the hurricane (when Janie and Tea Cake and the others are watching it blow), it also reflects the theme of the book – individuals are more than just people staring into the dark. When they find love and are truly themselves, they can see God. "Love ain't somethin' lak uh grindstone dat's de Here, Janie explains what she thinks love is. She same thing everywhere and do de same thing thinks it is unique each time it is felt. tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore" (182). "It's uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there..Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves" (183). In this quotation, Janie explains the steps individuals must take to become self-actualized – to find God and to live life a bit and get some experience as individuals. “She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see” (184). The final quotation shows Janie at peace. She “calls in her soul” to come and reflect on her life, full like a net, as she begins her new life after Tea Cake. We know as readers that she will be okay. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Quality Paperback Books, 1990. Majo r Wo rk s Dat a S h e e t Page 3 Characters Nam e Ro le in t h e s t o ry S ign ific an c e Adje c t iv e s Sh e p r oves th a t goa ls a r e ob ta in a b le, if you p u t you r m in d to a ch ievin g th a t goa l; J a n ie tea ch es u s th a t on e ca n n ot b e con tr olled b y oth er s ; on e m u s t con tr ol th eir own a ction s a n d b e fr ee of r es tr iction b y oth er s to b e h a p p y. Sh e tea ch es u s th a t life is a s tr u ggle a n d on e m u s t lea r n fr om it a ll. Sh e is s ign ifica n t b eca u s e s h e r ep r es en ts on ly h er s elf: s h e ca n n ot b e a s ym b ol for ever y b la ck wom a n . lets th e r ea d er ga in J a n ie's p er s p ective a n d fea r s a b ou t h er d ecis ion -m a k in g p r oces s ; s h e ca u tion s a n d wa r n s J a n ie; s h e d em on s tr a tes s ociety's id ea lized wom a n --ca r in g ob ed ien tly for h er fa m ily-Sh e u n wittin gly s p oils J a n ie's h op es for h a p p in es s wh en s h e a r r a n ges h er m a r r ia ge to Loga n J a n ie's fir s t feelin gs of lu s t; Na n n y's cu e th a t it is tim e for J a n ie to m a r r y; s er ves a s a ca t a lys t for J a n ie's em er gin g s exu a lity h elp s J a n ie d is cer n lu xu r y fr om lon gin g in d ep en d en t, s elfcon fid en t, a ggr es s ive, extr over t, p r ou d , h a r d wor k in g, a d m ir a b le, d ejected , s tr on g, wis e, u n iqu e, in s a tia b le, J a n ie Ma e Cr a wfor d Killick s Sta r k s Wood s th e p r ota gon is t --th is n ovel is th e s tor y of h er life a n d h er loves ; th e s tor yteller of h er life; Ph oeb y Wils on J a n ie's fr ien d a n d con fid a n te in E a ton ville Na n n y Cr a wfor d J a n ie's gr a n d m oth er wh o r a is es J a n ie. J oh n n y Ta ylor k is s ed you n g J a n ie over th e fen ce Loga n Killick s J a n ie's fir s t h u s b a n d ; r ich ; u n a ttr a ctive Lea fy J a n ie's m oth er wh o a b a n d on ed J a n ie wh en J a n ie wa s you n g. Sh e wa s r a p ed b y th e s ch ooltea ch er . Lea fy's s tor y m a d e J a n ie ta k e a d va n ta ge of life, a n d n ot th r ow it a wa y on a lcoh ol a n d m en . Rep r es en ts wh a t Na n n y is tr yin g to s a ve J a n ie fr om a n d wh a t J a n ie s tr ives to a void . J oe Sta r k s J a n ie's s econ d h u s b a n d wh os e a s p ir a tion s a r e in s p ir a tion a l en ou gh to J a n ie for h er to lea ve h er fir s t h u s b a n d ; b ecom es th e m a yor of E a ton ville, th e town h e h elp ed to b u ild Ver gib le (Tea Ca k e) Wood s la s t a n d m os t b eloved of J a n ie's h u sban ds Nu n k ie a flir ta tiou s fr ien d of Tea Ca k e's in th e E ver gla d es Mr s . Tu r n er A la d y th a t b efr ien d s J a n ie in th e m u ck ; wa n ts J a n ie to m eet h er b r oth er . Sh e own s a r es ta u r a n t on th e fla t; s ou r ce of con flict; foil to J a n ie a n d Tea Ca k e Ma k es J a n ie s en s itive to th e tr ick e r y of h er own m in d ; r es tr icts J a n ie's p h ys ica l a n d m en ta l b ea u ty b y r ea s on s of jea lou s y a n d "d u ty"; lea ves J a n ie yea r n in g for u n fetter ed , tr u e exp er ien ce; a fa ls e p r op h et of tr u e love; By lovin g a n d b ein g loved b y Tea Ca k e, J a n ie lea r n s wh a t h a p p in es s is ; a n d b y h is d ea th s h e lea r n s tor tu ou s p a in , yet even tu a l tr iu m p h . J a n ie's s ou l m a te. Th e on e s ociety d is a p p r oves , b u t th e on e with wh om s h e fin d s h a p p in es s . h elp s J a n ie r ea lize h er d is cover y th a t s h e h a s fou n d love th r ou gh h er jea lou s y, a n d th a t th r ou gh h er love s h e h a s fou n d th a t s h e is fu lfilled Rep r es en ts r a cia l p r eju d ice with in a r a ce. Sh e fa vor s ligh t -s k in n ed b la ck s . An exa m p le of wh a t h a p p en s to a p er s on 's m in d s et wh en on e's r a ce is h eld to b e in fer ior to a n oth er . fr ien d ly, op en m in d ed ca r in g, s tr on gwilled , b a tter ed "s h iftles s "; you th ; in n ocen ce (exp er ien ced ?) over b ea r in g, u n a ttr a ctive, lovin g d ep r es s ed , a b u s ed , lon ely, u n for tu n a te, n a ive, u s ed d r ea m in g, u n fu lfilled , s ca r ed wa n d er er , lovin g, in n ocen t, wa r m , u n d er s ta n d in g, m es m er izin g flir ta tiou s , s ch em in g p r ou d , r u d e, m is led , wh ite a ctin g. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Quality Paperback Books, 1990. Majo r Wo rk s Dat a S h e e t Page 4 Setting Th e n ovel s ta r ts with J a n ie's r etu r n to E a ton ville a fter Tea Ca k e's d ea th . E a ton ville is s ign ifica n t b eca u s e it is a n a llb la ck town th a t J a n ie's s econ d h u s b a n d J oe Sta r k s wa s th e m a yor of b efor e h is d ea th . In fla s h b a ck , th e n ovel tells a b ou t J a n ie's ch ild h ood in Wes t Flor id a , wh er e s h e gr ew u p with wh ite ch ild r en on th e Wa s h b u r n 's p la n ta tion . Th en J a n ie a n d h er gr a n d m a m oved to th eir own h ou s e. After J a n ie's fir s t m a r r ia ge to Loga n Killick s , s h e m oved to h is s ixty-a cr e fa r m . J a n ie wa s n 't h a p p y d es p ite h er s ecu r ity, s o s h e left Loga n for J oe Sta r k s , h er s econ d h u s b a n d . J a n ie a n d J oe tr a veled fr om Wes t Flor id a to E a ton ville, a n a ll-b la ck town wh er e J oe wa s elected m a yor , a n d J a n ie h a d to wor k in th e gen er a l s tor e th a t J oe own ed . After J oe's d ea th , J a n ie left E a t on ville with Tea Ca k e Wood s , a n d th ey wer e m a r r ied in J a ck s on ville, Flor id a wh er e h e h a d a job with a r a ilr oa d s h op . Th ey tr a veled togeth er d own to th e Flor id a E ver gla d es , "d own on th e m u ck " u n til a h u r r ica n e d r ove th em to Pa lm Bea ch tem p or a r ily. Th ey we n t b a ck to th e E ver gla d es a fter th e s tor m h a d p a s s ed , a n d a fter Tea Ca k e's d ea th fr om r a b ies , J a n ie r etu r n ed a lon e to E a ton ville to live in th e h ou s e s h e h a d s h a r ed with J oe Sta r k s . Symbols J a n ie's h a ir - J a n ie's exp r es s ion of fr eed om ; wh en h er h a ir wa s d own , s h e wa s fr ee, b ea u tifu l, a n d r ela xed ; b u t wh en J oe m a k es h er wea r it u p , it is a s ym b ol of h er im p r is on m en t a n d op p r es s ion ; h er you th a n d h er h id d en s en s u a lity p ea r tr ee b los s om - s ym b olizes J a n ie's life a n d h er h op e a n d fer tility, fr es h n es s , on en es s with n a tu r e; th e p ollin a tion r ep r es en ts th e s en s u a l "m a r r ia ge" wh ich con fu s es J a n ie; b ecom es J a n ie's tr ee of k n owled ge; J a n ie's b los s om in g wom a n h ood a n d fer tility s tr eetligh t - J oe's b elief th a t ever y p r ob lem h a s a s im p le fix ga r d en s eed th a t Tea Ca k e lea ves b eh in d is th e on ly th in g th a t J a n ie s a ves . Th e s eed s r ep r es en t th e fu tu r e of J a n ie a n d Tea Ca k e's love. la m p p os t - Bib lica l a llu s ion to "let th er e b e ligh t"; a n d J oe's d es ir e to h a ve con tr ol a n d a h igh s ta n d in g a m on gs t th e town s p eop le Ma tt Bon n er 's m u le - Na n n y s u gges t th a t th e Bla ck wom a n is th e m u le of th e wor ld ; Ma tt u s es it a s a b ea s t of b u r d en a s Loga n h a d u s ed J a n ie. J oe b u ys th e m u le s im p ly s o h e m a y look good in th e eyes of h is com m u n ity a n d s o th a t h e m a y p os s es s it. He d id th e s a m e with J a n ie wh en h e m a r r ied h er . vu ltu r es - s ym b olize th e in h a b ita n ts of E a ton ville wh o ta k e a p a r t J a n ie in a figu r a tive s in ce th e s a m e wa y th e vu ltu r es liter a lly ta k e a p a r t th e m u le. Significance of opening scene Significance of ending/closing scene Th e n ovel is a n a r r a tive of on e wom a n 's s elf-a ctu a lizin g Th e op en in g ch a p ter em p h a s izes th e d iffer en ces b etween jou r n ey, a n d th e s tr u ggles s h e en d u r ed for gin g (con s ciou s ly th e "p or ch -s itter s " of E a ton ville, wh o ju s t s it a n d ta lk a n d s u b con s ciou s ly) th is p ilgr im a ge. Th u s it s er ves b es t with ou t a ccom p lis h in g a n yth in g a n d J a n ie, wh o h a s lived for th e en d in g to cir cle b a ck to th e b egin n in g, to th e p oin t h er life to th e fu ll. Th es e s itter s wa tch ed J a n ie fr o m a wh er e a ll con flicts a r e s olved , a n d h ea lin g ca n b egin . As d is ta n ce a n d ju d ged h er . Th ey cr u elly cu t h er d own b eh in d J a n ie clos es h er con ver s a tion with Ph oeb y, a n d th e r ea d er , h er b a ck . In s h a r p con tr a s t, J a n ie s p ea k s p lea s a n tly a n d we a ll com e to ter m s with J a n ie's p a in a n d h er tr iu m p h . with ou t m a lice. Sh e d oes n ot s top to wa s te tim e on th e Th e th r ee wor d s "Her e wa s p ea ce," s u m s u p th e en tir e p or ch , b u t goes to h er own h ou s e. Wh en Ph eob y s p ea k s to jou r n ey, a d d in g a wa r m , s in cer e fin a lity to th e n ovel. J a n ie, th ey la u gh p lea s a n tly with ou t th e u n d er cu r r en t of J a n ie fin is h es tellin g Ph oeb y h er jou r n ey a n d wa s h es h er m a lice p r es en t with th e "s itter s ." Fr om th e op en in g ch a p ter feet--s ign ifyin g th e en d of a jou r n ey a fter lea r n in g a gr ea t th e r ea d er lea r n s th a t J a n ie, d u r in g h er m ys ter iou s d ea l. As s h e a s cen d s th e s ta ir s th e la m p s h e h old s is h er jou r n ey, h a s ga in ed th e com p os u r e, h u m ility, a n d own in ter n a l ligh t th a t s h in es b eca u s e s h e is fr ee fr om th e k n owled ge th a t th e s itter s s till la ck . Th is s p a r k s ou r th in gs th a t h a ve op p r es s ed h er a ll h er life. After in ter es t to k n ow wh a t s h e h a s lea r n ed . con clu d in g h er s tor y, h er loya l fr ien d Ph oeb y is en cou r a ged a n d we s ee th e s t a r k con tr a s t b etween wh a t J a n ie u s ed to b e (Ph oeb y) a n d J a n ie a fter h er life of m a n y exp er ien ces a n d th e d is cover y of fr eed om . Themes Love is b lin d to s u ch ca r n a l qu a lities a s a ge, s ocia l s ta n d in gs , a n d econ om ic s ta tu r e. Un cover in g d is illu s ion s in life p r ovid es m ea n s for gr owin g a n d u n d er s ta n d in g love a n d on e's s elf. Kn owled ge of life ca n n ot b e ta u gh t; it m u s t b e lea r n ed fir s t h a n d th r ou gh exp er ien ce. In d ivid u a ls m u s t d is cover wh o th ey a r e for th em s elves . Society will in evita b ly tr y to m old in d ivid u a l clon es , b u t th e tr u es t a n d m os t com p lete life is th e on e th a t lea d s to s elfa ctu a liza tion . Love is n ot n eces s a r ily a cqu ir ed th r ou gh m a r r ia ge. Love is a p u r e a n d h on es t feelin g th a t com es with tr u s t a n d equ a lity. On e ca n p er s ever e a n d ga in a tr u e s en s e of s elf if on e u s es h is p a s t fa ilu r es to p la n for a m or e p os itive fu tu r e. Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Quality Paperback Books, 1990.