Of Hurston's fiction, Their Eyes Were Watching God is arguably the best-known and perhaps the most controversial. The novel follows the fortunes of Janie Crawford, a woman living in the black town of Eaton, Florida. Hurston sets up her characters and her locale in the first chapter, which, along with the last, acts as a framing device for the story of Janie's life. Unlike Wright and Ralph Ellison, Hurston does not write explicitly about black people in the context of a white world--a fact that earned her scathing criticism from the social realists--but she doesn't ignore the impact of black-white relations either:

It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. They became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths. They sat in judgment.

Hurston's use of dialect enraged other African American writers such as Wright, who accused her of pandering to white readers by giving them the black stereotypes they expected. Decades later, however, outrage has been replaced by admiration for her depictions of black life, and especially the lives of black women. In Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston breathes humanity into both her men and women, and allows them to speak in their own voices. --Alix Wilber

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In "There Eyes," Hurston tells the life story of Janie, an African-American woman. We accompany Janie as she experiences the very different men in her life. Hurston's great dialogue captures both the ongoing "war of the sexes," as well as the truces, joys, and tender moments of male-female relations. But equally important are Janie's relationships with other Black women. There are powerful themes of female bonding, identity, and empowerment which bring an added dimension to this book.

But what really elevates "Their Eyes" to the level of a great classic is Hurston's use of language. This is truly one of the most poetic novels in the American canon. Hurston blends the engaging vernacular speech of her African-American characters with the lovely "standard" English of her narrator, and in both modes creates lines that are just beautiful.

"Their Eyes" captures the universal experiences of pain and happiness, love and loss. And the whole story is told with both humor and compassion. If you haven't read it yet, read it; if you've already read it, read it again.


_The_ Modern love story   December 3, 1999
 60 out of 73 found this review helpful

Other modernists, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edith Wharton, tore apart the classical love story, dependant as it was on outer union, on a coupling of circumstance and fate. Age of Innocence is a biting parody, exposing the superficiality of, for example, Jane Austen's society romances (despite their unsurpassed wit). Gatsby buys into classical script, but the carefully constructed narrative of Romantic love he tries to realize is shattered by the realities of a modern age. He is left, staring at an empty window because he cannot believe that Daisy is not behind it gazing at him, but downstairs coming to terms with her husband. Their Eyes Were Watching God, however, fills the void left by others' criticism. At first, romantic love sweeps Hurston's heroine too off her feet: "From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything. A bee for her bloom." But this is unsatisfying, and eventually the book reveals a love story for the modern age, which finds as its essence not external union, but inner, personal fulfillment and genuine partnership. This is not to say Hurston's vision is more 'realistic,' or less rare, but that, as an ideal, it is far more relevant than its predecessors. Hurston's lovers find in each other not alabaster idols, but a mutual epiphany. "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."


Great Novel; thank you to my AP English Class   May 30, 2000
 37 out of 44 found this review helpful

This is one of those obscure but great novels--and writers--that I probably never would have discovered or read if it were not for my AP English class (it was on my required summer reading list; which only adds to my already hefty personal reading list, which is ever growing.)I at first wondered why a highschool teacher chose a work not as known or recognized, but figured it out when I realized how local the books setting was (I live in Orlando, FL, which is between most of the settings in the book, and made mention of several times.) But enough of how I came about reading it...

Hurston's novel turned out to be a beautifuly told tale. The insight into the main character, Janie Crawford, was very strong and eloquently told. Also, if you love a lot of beautiful imagery, this is a good example. Every chapter opened--and many closed--with though provoking metaphors and philosophies. The oft-aclaimed dialogue (written in the afro-american dialect of the time period) added a lot to the atmosphere. One of the few, and relatively minor criticisms I can find in this book is that large amounts of space are lost between chapters, and in some cases within them, without transition which is jarring and pulls you out of the fictional dream.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book. It has a beautiful story and is beautifully told.


Of little literary merit   December 29, 2000
 23 out of 57 found this review helpful

It's a pity that Their Eyes Were Watching God isn't a few hundred pages longer; it would make a most excellent doorstop and perform far more capably in that position than it ever has as a work of literature. Even at its thankfully brief length, it is preferable as a mediocre doorstop to an intolerably pointless novel.

Despite a modicum of skill at depicting life in small towns, Nora Zeale Hurston is ultimately unsuccessful in her attempt to write an enjoyable book. There are characters, though not likable ones; a romance, though highly unconvincing; a plot-- sort of; social commentary, though heavy handed and unsubtle. In short, Eyes has the elements of a novel that could and has worked with better writing (see A Room With a View). Unfortunate, then, that no such prowess is displayed.

Perhaps the most flawed aspect of Eyes is that it is not written in English. I refuse to concede that the overdone vernacular dialogue contained within is English, particularly as it is fraught with inconsistencies: "lak" and "like" are used interchangeably, as are "yo'" and "you" and "mouth" and "mouf," adding to the confusion of any reader unfortunate enough to be slogging through the conversations. Nor is the prose any better (though it CAN be positively identified as English); it waxes melodramatic and insipid. "A sobbing sigh burst out of Janie"?! Dear me. The story-within-a-story format doesn't work either, particularly when dialogues Janie has no way of knowing and previous conversations with the friend to whom she is narrating her life story show up. Surely both Pheoby and Jane can still remember what they said to each other without Janie's having to repeat the entire conversation? The logic escapes me.

Regrettably, the characters are equally baffling. Janie alternates between being incredibly rash (in my opinion, anyone marrying someone of about a fortnight's acquaintance deserves what she gets) and projecting a paragon of wise, black womanliness. This perfect specimen retains faith and optimism through the harshest trials to such a degree that it's nauseating. And did I mention that the magnanimous and courageous Janie is also a beautiful woman, excellent cook, and fast learner? Tea Cake is less perfect, though he does still repeatedly reassure Janie of her beauty and worth and even helps her cook dinner without being prompted. (This is realistic fiction, not fantasy, right?) Subsequently, their 'romance' is as flat as the characters themselves and inspires no interest.

Barring characters and writing, Eyes still has a chance for redemption through masterful social commentary...which it does not possess. True, there IS social commentary. Every now and then, there is a brief but transparent rant on the lack of power of black women, or white injustice to blacks or the black inferiority complex. After awhile, these lose their power to amuse with their unsubtlety and become merely tiresome. They are too obvious to have much impact.

Dreadful as the language may be, it at least provides the perfect word to describe the entire book: monstropolous. (My inability to find it in a dictionary strengthens my suspicions that Eyes is written in a language loosely based on, but inferior in structure and consistency to, English.) I conclude unable to justify its status as a classic whatsoever and highly recommend that future readers, unless masochists or insomniacs, avoid Their Eyes Were Watching God with utmost care.

Ailanna


The Quest For Love, A Celebration of Womanhood   January 12, 2000
 19 out of 22 found this review helpful

Several reviews previous to mine mentioned that as high school students they couldn't understand why this book was considered a classic and what was supposed to be so wonderful about it. I too read the book this year for English and I can tell you why. On an anylytical level, Hurston's imagery is astoundingly beautiful. It mirrors her unique and fesh vision of what it means to be a woman. What Hurston says about the emotional turmoil of Janie, without telling the reader directly is amazing. Part of the strength of this book is it's ability to communicate emotion, to reach out to a reader who is emotionally aware (that's the catch for the readers who didn't comprehend the book) and pull them into Janie's life. Then every symbol, such as Janie's tied up hair, begins to communicate it's meaning in a clear and touching way. This book is amazing, and not enough can be said for it. It is a celebration of true love, of self-revelation, and of what it means to live a dream. I can see why some people might not understand it...at least not in high school.