Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God
On Zora Neale Hurston's literary choice for freedom In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston´s most known work of fiction, the main character, Jeanie, must endure all the different forms of oppression society in 1937 had to offer. Be that the realization of being a black girl in a white community and the consequent exile; being wed off as an adolescent to a much older man just to preserve her reputation, or the abuse and mistreatment suffered at the hands of men for being a woman. Gender roles and race are the foundations of this novel, and Jeanie´s life is marked by what means to be a black female in a world whose purpose seems to be to put her down in every possible way. So why is this book also a lyrical revindication of beauty and joy? Because it portrays a protagonist that affirms her individuality and wishes above all the misfortune and disappointments she endures. Janie refuses to accept a loveless life, despite it being comfortable or filled with riches. Her ...