Their Eyes Were Watching God Themes

Power: Power, specifically black power, was an issue of great importance to the Harlem Renaissance writers. Various characters in Their Eyes were Watching God have different notions about the best way to gain power in a white-dominated world. Nanny's idea is that her granddaughter should marry a wealthy man so that she doesn't have to worry about her financial security. Joe gains power in the same way that whites traditionally did, by gaining a position of leadership (the mayorship) and using it to dominate others. However, Janie finds that the type of power that she prefers in a man is personal, rather than constructed. She thinks that a person's power is derived not from their material possessions, but from their personal experiences, and their manner of relating to others.

Black Autonomy: One of the most politically notable aspects of Their Eyes were Watching God, a decidedly apolitical novel, is the concept of black autonomy. Jim Crow laws were still in effect in the South during the 1930s, keeping blacks and whites in separate schools, churches, and bathrooms. Eatonville, the town in which Zora Neale Hurston grew up, was famous as the first all-black incorporated municipality in the country. Hurston's novel is a ringing affirmation of black autonomy, portraying a town with a black mayor, post office, and so on. But she questions the methods of the leader of this town, concerned with whether he achieved power through traditionally white avenues.

Appearance of Race: There is a high incidence of African-Americans with mixed black and white descent in this novel. Janie's mother, Leafy, was the product of a rape by a plantation master, and was visibly white enough to garner punishment of Nanny by the plantation master's wife. Janie is described as having coffee-colored skin, and Hurston is careful to describe the degree of blackness of all of her characters. Caucasian characteristics can have a positive (Janie's shiny hair) or negative (Mrs. Turner's pointed nose and thin lips) effect on the character's attractiveness. Hurston is consistent on one point, however, and that is that people who try to look like something that they are not (usually whiter than they are) always end up looking terrible.

Work/Money: Janie differs from many of the other characters in Their Eyes were Watching God in that she is financially stable throughout the book with a fair amount of money in the bank. Therefore, for Janie, work is isolated from making money, and depends entirely on the nature of the labor. Contrary to most people, she enjoys laboring in the field more than clerking in a shop (despite the fact that the latter is "higher class") because it allows her to be near nature and the man that she loves. Janie's naturalism extends beyond her sexuality to include which type of labor she prefers.

Analysis

Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" was written in a feminist view. The main character Janie went against all "normal" women duties and went around freely, living her life the way she saw fit. Janie represents the black women during the Harlem Renaissance period that saught to broaden their goals and duties in life. Many women during that time period wished for work and to be able to be happy in their marriage. Janie felt these feelings too, expect that she did not want to do housework all day.

The many themes of power, black autonomy, appearance of race, work and money all tie into one thing: that blacks should be able to be free, equal, and proud to be themselves. When Janie tries to accomplish all of these themes, people in society mortified her behind her back. This shows how people in society were treated in the '20s when they tried to accomplish goals out of the norm. Society talked about them and shunned them too. Even though Janie's husband dies, in the end she was more happy because she found her identity of who she truly was. Hurston is saying that blacks should go for their goals, even though everything may not work out as you would like, you will find your identity in the end. Then you will be at peace with yourself.

Embodiment of the Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was all about freedom of expression and the search for one's identity. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" shows these goals through the main character Janie and her neighbors. Janie freely expressed what she wanted and searched for her identity with her different husbands. Even though Janie was criticized by everyone except her friends, she continued to pursue. She lost everything, but ultimately found her identity.

The Nanny represented the older people in society that did not expect any change in life, Phoebe, Janie's friend, represented the few people that truly believed in change. When Janie ran away from her first husband to look for freedom, this symbolized the Great Migration North. When Janie found Tea Cake is represented the Harlem Renaissance period, and when she found her identity in the end, it represented when the black community found their identity at the end of the Harlem Renaissance.