In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God the aspects of nature depict Janie’s idealized views of life and love. In the first paragraph of the book, Hurston states, “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tides. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time.” (1) This quote depicts Janie’s view of the horizon; the horizon holds her idealized hopes and dreams. The horizon is also a mystery to her, it is something she is curious about as she’s not sure what it holds for her. By the end of the book, Janie takes the horizon all on her own. The pear tree is also an aspect of idealized nature. When Janie is under the pear tree she daydreams about life, love and her hopes. Both the ocean’s horizon and the pear tree portray Janie’s idealized views in life.
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Janie’s appearance is a symbol of feminine power and returning to ego. First, her hair represents her strength and independence while it symbolizes the community standards. The town’s critique and gossip at the beginning of this novel demonstrates that it is considered undignified for a woman of Janie’s age who put her hair down and it is defiant to the criteria of the petty society; she shows her spirit and individuality by refusing to bow down their norms. Secondly, Janie’s hair is so attractive to men; her hair is always described as a typical masculine power and potency as shown in the quote “the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plum” (2), this causes Jody’s concern of losing control of her, thus threatens Jody.
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Janie’s scarf is also a symbol in this novel; in the public’s perception, it’s a shame for women of Janie’s age to wear bright color. In her relationship with Jody, he doesn't even allow Janie to show up in public activities, let alone wearing arresting cloth; however Tea Cake encourages her to wear bright colors which fits her better. The contrast between Jody and Tea Cake’s response of Janie’s noticeable youth and beauty shows how Janie’s recognition of love changed. |