“There is no book more important to me than this one” says Alice Walker of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. It is apparent that Hurston’s writing deeply affected Alice Walker’s persona as an author, as well assisted in shaping her “womanist” view towards female kind. Therefore, it is not surprising that Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Walker’s The Color Purple touch upon the same issue of female African American self-actualization. Both authors accompany us on a journey of adversity, including racism and sexism, leading to self-worth and true complacency for their protagonist.
Like Janie, Celie is first introduced to us, the readers, as a young girl who is forced into a marriage arranged by her parent. It is not romance, but a business transaction, with offers, negotiations, and an exchange of goods- Celie. Unfortunately, Celie enters into contractual wedlock with several emotional burdens weighing heavy on her heart. Her father raped her, resulting in two pregnancies. Both babies were stolen from Celie by her father and mysteriously disposed of. Celie’s new husband, indiscriminately named Mr. _______, beats Celie for lack of anything else to relieve his boredom. “Harpo ast his daddy why he beat me. Mr. _______ say, cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn. All women good for- he don’t finish.” (Walker, 22). Lastly, she must take care of Mr. _______’s children, who neither like nor obey her.
While Janie does not have a physically or sexually abusive relationship with her father or first husband, Logan Killicks, she does harbor the same longing for something better in her heart. Going through the motions of the daily household routine, both Janie and Celie feel the tug of grander things move their hearts. However, Celie internalizes these feelings and tries to numb herself to the monotony, while Janie uses these feelings to motivate her to escape. Janie’s second marriage to Jodie Starks more closely parallels Celie’s life with Mr. _______. These women are treated like children by their own husbands. Jodie and Mr. _______ firmly believe that women need to be trained and disciplined. To escape this mentality, both women search for a real relationship, based on true, respectful love. Celie finds this love in Shug Avery, Janie, of course, unites with Tea Cake. Society does not approve of either of these pairings, but the fact that they do not heed to societal pressures reflects their achievement of self-empowerment. They will not let anyone or anything extinguish their happiness. Celie finally learns, “If she come, I be happy. If she don’t, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn.” (Walker, 240). Janie comes to a similar conclusion after Tea Cake’s death, and finds peace within her soul.
Also, both novels use an extensive amount of nature imagery and religious references to highlight the emotional journey of the plot. As Shug says to Celie, “I think it makes God angry if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it” (Walker, 210). Zora Neale Hurston employs nature imagery to educate Janie’s heart about love. “She[Janie] saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage!” (Hurston, 11). The title of Hurston’s novel alludes to religion quite directly; both stories provide a sense of confusion and wonder with God from the African American perspective. Honestly, I believe that both novels could be titled Their Eyes Were Watching God because throughout these stories of oppression, struggle, and self-acceptance that span over multiple decades, we feel that these people are staring at the sky, wondering how to work through the aversive life God has injected them into. It is with that same grace of God that they succeed.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.
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