Illustration of the profile of Janine Crawford and another person facing each other

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

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Themes: Folklore

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A notable feature of Their Eyes Were Watching God is its unique combination of folklore and fiction. Hurston weaves elements from the Black rural oral tradition—something she researched extensively as an anthropologist—into her writing, giving precedence to this tradition over Western literary conventions. For example, she uses the folkloric method of repeating elements in threes to depict Janie's three marriages. Claire Crabtree observes that “Janie follows a pattern familiar to folklorists of a young person’s journey from home to face adventure and various dangers, followed by a triumphant homecoming.” Moreover, Janie returns “richer and wiser” than when she departed, ready to share her experiences with Pheoby, intending for her tale to be retold, akin to a folktale handed down through generations.

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The significance of the animals attending the mule's funeral and the role of the buzzards in Their Eyes Were Watching God

The animals attending the mule's funeral in Their Eyes Were Watching God symbolize the community's mockery and lack of respect for the mule, paralleling Janie's struggles with her own voice and autonomy. The buzzards represent death and the natural cycle, highlighting the inevitability of decay and the community's detachment from the mule's suffering.

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Themes: Narration

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