Dacey Presnell
AP Literature
Dr. Boyd
12 April 2024
Their Eyes Were Watching God
In the short story, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” by Zora Neale Hurston, the
narration dives deep into a part of Janie’s life. The setting of this piece of literature starts right
before the funeral of Janie’s late husband. As the story progresses, the mood rapidly changes to
reveal Janie’s true feelings about her newfound loneliness. Although Janie first projects herself to
seem like she is grieving over the death of her husband, she turns out to be confident in her
future and ready to be freed from the social constraints that had been placed upon her. As she
moves forward with her new life, she embraces her loneliness and the change that comes with
her new life.
At the beginning of the story, Janie attempts to present herself as a woman who is struck
with sadness over the loss of her husband. In the first paragraph, the narrator states, “Janie
starched and ironed her face,” visualizing how she prepares herself to be seen as if she is in a veil
of anguish while attending the funeral. She hopes to hide her true feelings of happiness by using
a list of saddening words, like “nevermore” and “dissolution,” to help illustrate what she was
attempting to appear as. Quickly returning to her normal life after the funeral, many people saw
no change in her behavior and actions. Confirming that she was ready to experience life without
her husband and move at her own pace, the narrator stated, “She saw no reason to rush at
changing things around. She would have the rest of her life to do as she pleased.” Taking her life
into her own hands, Janie continued to do her daily tasks and enjoy her own company.
Janie started thinking about what she could do with her newfound freedom; considering
taking care of her grandmother’s grave, she soon realized how negative her grandmother had
once been. Describing her as someone who “loved to deal in scraps,” she implies that her
grandmother was the type of person to focus narrowly on practical problems. Being able to
interpret this piece helps to understand how she treated Janie.
As Janie eases into her new life without her husband, she decides to focus on herself.
Although several men drive considerable distances to hopefully become the successor of her late
husband, she laughs at and rejects each one. Purposefully enveloping herself in loneliness, she
finds comfort in being by herself and is confident in her future. Although Janie first projects
herself to seem like she is grieving in the beginning of the story, she quickly drops her facade of
anguish and enjoys her newfound freedom, taking control of her future and embraces her
loneliness.
