Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
Chapter 1
1. Explain the idea behind, “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on
board.”
2. How do the people’s lives change after sundown? In other words, how is their
night different from their day?
3. When Janie comes back, how do the people react to her? What things do
they say?
4. Who defends Janie? Why?
5. What does Phoeby bring to Janie? What do they talk about?
6. Where is Tea Cake?
Chapter 2 – In Chapter 2, Janie starts to take Phoeby (and the reader) back to
her childhood to tell the whole story.
1. Who was Janie’s guardian when she was a child. What does she know of her
parents?
2. How did Janie realize she was black?
3. What “happens” under the pear tree? What is the significance of the
experience?
4. What happens with Johnny Taylor and what is Nanny’s reaction?
5. What does Nanny say Janie must do? Why?
6. Why does Nanny want Janie to marry Logan Killicks?
7. What is Nanny’s explanation of how and why she got her freedom?
8. What is the explanation of what happened to Janie’s mother?
9. Explain the last line of chapter 2, “Put me down easy, Janie, Ah’m a cracked
plate.”
Chapter 3
1. What is meant by the statement, "There are years that ask questions and
years that answer?"
2. What does Janie expect from marriage to Logan Killicks?
3. Why does Nanny wonder if Logan has "done took and beat [Janie] already"?
4. What is Nanny's attitude toward love?
5. Why is Nanny impatient with Janie in this scene?
6. What is the importance of Logan's having a house, sixty acres, and the only
organ in town?
7. What is the tone of the description of Nanny's death?
8. What has Janie learned by the end of the chapter?
Chapter 4
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6.
7.
8.
How has married life changed for Janie?
How does Janie stand up for herself and why does Logan back down?
What is Janie's first impression of Joe Starks? Why?
Why has Joe come to Florida?
Why is Logan critical of Janie's background?
Why does Logan want to hurt Janie?
Why is Logan's "last sentence...half a sob and half a cry"?
What is going on in Janie's mind at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 5
1. How does the beginning of Janie's second marriage compare and contrast
with her first?
2. What is Janie proud of when she looks at Joe?
3. What is the role of women in Joe's world?
4. Why does Joe’s new house bother the town?
5. Why does Joe love “obedience”?
6. Why are the men critical of Janie’s wearing a headrag?
7. Why do the people bow down to Joe?
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Worksheet #3
Chapter 6
1. In what ways are Lige and Sam teasing Matt Bonner, and why does Matt fall
for it?
2. Why doesn’t Joe want Janie to take part in the mule stories on the porch?
3. If Joe thinks so little of the mule stories, why does he listen to them himself?
4. What privileges does Joe want Janie to use, and what “rock” does she feel
“battered against”?
5. Why is Jody jealous of what the other men might think about Janie’s hair?
6. Why does Jody decide to buy the mule?
7. How is the mule personified in describing its death?
8. In what ways is the Parson in the buzzard’s burial like Jody in the men’s burial?
9. Why does Jody slap Janie?
Chapter 7
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5.
Janie is around 40 as this chapter opens. How have the years affected her?
Why does Janie imagine herself under a tree?
In what ways is Janie showing “indifference” now?
Why and how does Joe’s “hurting inside” affect Janie?
Why does Janie decide to speak up to Jody in front of the others?
Chapter 8
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What is the atmosphere around the house and the store as the chapter opens?
How does Janie conceive of Death?
Why is rumor a “wingless bird”?
Why does Janie decide to go to Joe’s bedroom to talk?
Why does Janie say she never had a chance to use the sympathy she feels?
What is Janie finally able to say to Joe?
Why does Janie finally pity Joe?
How does she feel when Joe dies?
Chapter 9
1. What is Joe’s funeral like?
2. Compare what is happening on the outside at the funeral to Janie’s feelings inside.
3. Why does Janie burn all her headrags and leave her hair down?
4. What is the “mislove” that Janie remembers about Nanny?
5. Why do people in the community think Janie needs a man?
6. What does Janie mean when she says to Phoeby, “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t
tuh last no longer’n grief”?
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
Worksheet #4
Chapter 10
1. What are Janie’s first impressions of Tea Cake?
2. How does Janie feel when Tea Cake shows her how to play checkers?
3. How does Janie’s first meeting with Tea Cake compare to her first meeting
with Logan and Joe?
4. What does Janie think about her evening with Tea Cake?
Chapter 11
1. What mixed emotions does Janie have about Tea Cake?
2. Why does Janie hold her breath when she asks Hezekiah if Tea Cake has a
wife?
3. Why does Hurston focus on Janie’s hair?
4. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles. Why does Hurston use this reference?
5. What does Tea Cake mean when he says, “You got me in do go-long”?
6. Why is Janie so drawn to Tea Cake?
7. What is the effect of Hurston’s simple sentence on page 103: “That was the
beginning of things”?
8. What does the reference to the keys to the kingdom add to this scene?
9. How does Tea Cake allay Janie’s fears?
Chapter 12
1. Why do the townspeople refer to Janie as Mrs. Mayor Starks?
2. What does Phoeby think of the undertaker?
3. Is the town being reasonable in suspecting Tea Cake of wanting Janie for her
money?
4. What does Phoeby think about Janie’s activities?
5. What is the significance of Phoeby’s observation to Janie, “You’se yo own
woman”?
6. According to Janie, what happens to people when they get married, and how
does her description differ from her earlier beliefs about marriage?
7. Why does it “look lak heben” to Phoeby?
8. What is Phoeby’s function in this chapter, and how does it compare to her
function in the novel as a whole?
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Worksheet #5
Chapter 13
1. Compare Janie’s wedding to Tea Cake with hers to Logan and Joe.
2. Why doesn’t Janie tell Tea Cake about the $200 she has, and why does
Phoeby insist that she keep it secret?
3. How does Janie react to the missing $200?
4. What is the tone of Tea Cake’s behavior when he returns?
5. Comment on Tea Cake’s desire to find out “how rich people feel.”
6. Why doesn’t Janie object to Tea Cake’s gambling, and why is she instead
excited about it?
7. Why does Tea Cake want to take Janie to the muck?
8. What is Janie feeling at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 14
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4.
What does Tea Cake want to do at night after he finishes working?
Why does Tea Cake want Janie to learn to shoot?
What is the workers’ attitude toward the future?
Why does Tea Cake want Janie working with him in the muck, and how does
his attitude differ from Joe’s and Logan’s?
5. What role does Janie play in the evening discussions, and how does it differ
from her participation in discussions when Joe was alive?
Chapter 15
1. What “seed of fear was growing into a tree”?
2. Why is Tea Cake “shame faced”?
3. Why does Janie strike Tea Cake?
4. What is the tone of Tea Cake’s comment at the end, “You’se something tuh
make uh man forgit tuh git old and forgit tuh die”?
Chapter 16
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What attracts Janie to the Bahaman dances?
What does Mrs. Turner think about her own looks? Why?
Why doesn’t Mrs. Turner agree with Janie marrying Tea Cake?
In what ways is Mrs. Turner prejudiced?
How does Mrs. Turner justify her cruelty to others?
What are Mrs. Turner’s religious beliefs?
Why does Mrs. Turner have a feeling of “transmutation” when she is with
Janie?
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Worksheet #6
Chapter 17
1. Why does Tea Cake feel justified in whipping Janie?
2. Why does Tea Cake “pet and pamper” Janie?
3. How do the men orchestrate what happens at Mrs. Turner’s and what role
does Tea Cake play in the fight?
4. How do the men rub salt into the wound when they visit Mrs. Turner’s at the
end of the chapter?
Chapter 18
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Why are the Bahamas now included in the social life of the Glades?
What is the tone of the weather that morning?
Who are the “flame-throwers” and what stories are they telling?
What question are they asking God on page 159?
What does Janie say about when death comes (page 159)?
The first reference to the title of the novel appears on page 160 in the
sentence, “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were
watching God.” Why does Hurston include this reference to the title here,
and what does it add to the meaning of the work as a whole?
7. In what ways does the flood in this chapter parallel the story of the flood in the
Bible? Why does Hurston imply this comparison?
8. Why can’t the stay on the bridge at Six Mile Bend?
9. What is noticeable about the dog’s behavior?
10. How does Tea Cake react to the dog bite?
11. How has the journey to escape taken its toll on Janie and Tea Cake?
Chapter 19
1. The second reference to the title is on page 170, “Death had found them
watching, trying to see beyond seeing.” What is the significance of this
statement?
2. Why does Tea Cake comment, “Look lak dey think God don’t know nothin’
‘bout de Jim Crow law”?
3. Why do Janie and Tea Cake return to the Everglades?
4. Why does Tea Cake become sick? What are his symptoms?
5. How does Janie perceive God?
6. Why does Janie shoot Tea Cake?
7. Why is everyone in the jury white?
8. Why are the black people in the court room against her?
9. Why does Janie wear overalls to the funeral?
Chapter 20
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Why do the men take a stand against Janie?
What does Janie want Phoeby to tell the others?
What is Janie’s definition of love?
What is Janie thinking at the end of the chapter?
Why does a sigh come to Janie’s mind as she reflects on her life?
What is Janie’s perspective on the horizon at the end of the story?
Compare the horizon at the end with the horizon at the beginning.
What is the tone of the last line of the novel?