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The importance of speech
The use of dialect in Hurston's narrative plays a large role in the character development. Her narrative technique also contributes to character development, as well as setting and plot. Discuss the effect of Hurston’s narrative technique of alternating between highly figurative narration and colloquial dialogue.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Discuss the significance of the book’s title and how it relates to Janie’s quest and the rest of the book.
Richard Wright's view
In 1937, Richard Wright reviewed Their Eyes Were Watching God and wrote: “The sensory sweep of her novel carries no theme, no message, no thought. In the main, her novel is not addressed to the Negro, but to a white audience whose chauvinistic tastes she knows how to satisfy.” In particular, Wright objected to the novel’s discussion of race and use of black dialect. Why might Wright have objected to Their Eyes Were Watching God? Do you agree or disagree with Wright’s interpretation of the novel?
Critics and Hurston
While Wright claimed that Hurston pandered to whites, Alain Locke said she oversimplified Southern black experience under the segregationist system known as Jim Crow. In January 1938, Locke’s infamous review publicly asked Hurston when she would begin to write “social document fiction.” This response so wounded her that she later regretted writing the novel at all. But critics who felt that Hurston’s fiction undermined their attempts to combat racism misunderstood her aesthetic. As she once wrote in a letter, “I tried...not to pander to the folks who expect a clown and a villain in every Negro. Neither did I want to pander to those ‘race’ people among us who see nothing but perfection in all of us.” Holding to this vision would cost her, financially and otherwise, right up until her death in 1960. What are your thoughts about Hurston’s statement and Locke’s comment?
Janie and marriage
Discuss Janie’s three marriages. What initially pulls her to each of the three men? How do they differ from one another? What does she learn from each experience?
Silence is golden
Their Eyes Were Watching God is concerned with issues of speech and how speech is both a mechanism of control and a vehicle of liberation. Yet Janie remains silent during key moments in her life. Discuss the role of silence in the book and how that role changes throughout the novel.
Symbolism and figurative language
Complex images do more than simply map the inner landscape: They become symbols. As a form of figurative language, symbols can maintain our fascination by hinting beyond the literal, drawing us back to explore what the author may mean. Discuss the development of three major symbols in the novel: the pear tree, the street lamp and the mule.
Coming of age
Many readers consider this novel a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, as Janie’s external journey takes her through southern Florida and her three marriages. Janie finds her voice and learns to use it. In order to trace the development of Janie’s character, use this discussion to explore Janie’s transformation at two major turning points: her confrontation with Joe Starks (Chapters 7-8) and her meeting of Tea Cake (Chapter 10).
The Voice of a generation
A great writer can be the voice of a generation. What kind of voice does Hurston employ and why would she use a novel to express this voice? What does her voice reveal about her generation? Is it still relevant? If you were the voice of your generation, what would be your most important message? Why might you choose to convey this in a fictional novel rather than a speech or essay?
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