Their Eyes Were Watching God

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TarAshly

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Has anyone read this novel. I selected it from a Novel List from my American Literature Class. Honestly I selected it because it was the shortest one ( I contrasted and compared šŸ˜‰ ) my work load this semester is insane and I didnt have a lot of time to read AND write the Literary Analysis required with it. but now I cant put it down, I am only about 45 pages in but I picked it up last night during the super bowl and read it the whole time (between ā€œHoney can you get meā€™sā€) has anyone read this novel? what did you think of it? NO SPOILERS PLEASE!
 
Itā€™s a great book; definitely a priceless asset to American literature.

I canā€™t really discuss the story until you finish reading the book, but when you do, you might want to check out the made-for-TV movie of it that came out not too long ago. Halle Berry plays the role of Janie.
 
The book is a treasure. I read it in high school, and I taught it to my students this year. Post again when you have finished it. I would love to discuss it.
 
I read the book in college. The only interesting thing I found about it was how funny it was. I had to do a speech on it for class, and I had em all laughing. The book is just one long statement of how much more important sex is than marriage. Or anything else for that matter. If you notice toward the beginning when Janey is growing up, how she looks at nature and all she sees is sex then youā€™ll see where the book is going. Itā€™s pretty new agey and pagan in that respect. Not to mention pretty feminist. I didnā€™t like the book, but I had a good time doing that speech. lol.
 
now mind you im only about 70 pages into it, but I didnt see sex anywhere other than her Nanny being raped and her mother being raped. I have yet to see sex mentioned at all for Janey or otherwise. She seems lost to me, like shes looking for herself in another time and place, like she doesnt feel she fits anywhere. Iā€™ve smirked a time or two here and there but havent found it funny as much as clever and insightful, I definately would not call it humor. In fact the only part funny I have found so far has been where Lam and his buddy are joking with Matt about his yellow Mule and the stories that follow that Mule. I just am not reading what your reading I guess and maybe I will understand more as the book goes on but I just dont get this analysis. Is this something that happens later in the book with the mysterious Tea Cake, I havent gotten to his part of the story yet, shes still Mrs. Mayor Starks as of now and I am at the scene where all the young men in town are trying to catch the eye of Daisy.
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Oren:
I read the book in college. The only interesting thing I found about it was how funny it was. I had to do a speech on it for class, and I had em all laughing. The book is just one long statement of how much more important sex is than marriage. Or anything else for that matter. If you notice toward the beginning when Janey is growing up, how she looks at nature and all she sees is sex then youā€™ll see where the book is going. Itā€™s pretty new agey and pagan in that respect. Not to mention pretty feminist. I didnā€™t like the book, but I had a good time doing that speech. lol.
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My daughter read it in 8th Grade, and her father and I read it also. It is BEAUTIFUL!
 
haha! I feel so silly reading it in college but my professor says it is one the greatest American novels ever written and he thinks all college students should read it. For me it was a real toss up between this and ā€œThe Color Purpleā€ I chose this one because it was much shorter and I am so crunched for time these days, but I love it so far! once I am done with it I would love to discuss it with others and see how they felt about the book. Also I just put the movie in my Netfilx Que! BUT i am going to finish the book first! then watch the movie. šŸ˜‰
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mercygate:
My daughter read it in 8th Grade, and her father and I read it also. It is BEAUTIFUL!
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I went back and re read the part you were refering too about the tree and the flowers and bees and what she sees in that. IMHO i think she is describing love and romance as any girl at 16 begins to get curious about. I dont think its sex shes after I think its affection and love.
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Oren:
I read the book in college. The only interesting thing I found about it was how funny it was. I had to do a speech on it for class, and I had em all laughing. The book is just one long statement of how much more important sex is than marriage. Or anything else for that matter. If you notice toward the beginning when Janey is growing up, how she looks at nature and all she sees is sex then youā€™ll see where the book is going. Itā€™s pretty new agey and pagan in that respect. Not to mention pretty feminist. I didnā€™t like the book, but I had a good time doing that speech. lol.
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The pear tree scene contains one of the novelā€™s crucial symbols. The blossoming pear tre resembles Janieā€™s awakening awareness of her womanhood. She sees the mutually beneficial relationship between the tree and the bees and desires to have a similar relationship. (Check out the final pages of the novel and the description of Janie after her experiences. It is meant to refer back to the pear tree.) She spends the entire novel seeking this equal relationship, and evenually finds it in Tea Cake.

While admittedly her physical relationship with Tea Cake is by far the most fulfilling, it is not the point of their relationship. It is, rather, a reflection of the nature of their relationship. Tea Cake is the first man she meets who treats her as a whole person: as someone to be loved and respected, rather than a maid or a trophy, as is the case in her previous marriages. He helps her discover who she is, rather than stifling her. He recognizes and even appreciates that she has a brain and does not feel intimidated when she uses it.

Their Eyes is not about sex, it is about a woman who learns about her human dignity, and about the nature of true love.
 
Regarding the comments about the novel being feminist:

Yes, it is regarded as such, because it is a story of female empowerment.

Interestingly, though, there are some branches of feminism that do not agree because Janieā€™s self-discovery is inextricably tied to her relationships with men. They argue that she cannot truly be empowered until she finds her independence without any assistance, especially from men.

In my opinion, however, the novel is not simply about what role women should play in society. In the other characters, one can see that the inequities in society are harmful not only to the downtrodden, but also to those in positions of power. This is espeically evident in Janieā€™s second husband, who dies a shriveled, miserable man because he spent his life indulging his ego and carefully maintaining his sense of superiority to others. Both of Janieā€™s first two husbands benefit little on an emotional or spiritual level from their interactions with Janie. By contrast, Tea Cake and Janie both learn from each other, and each becomes a stronger, more contented person through the relationship. Those who spend their time preoccupied with divisions and inequalities are generally very unhappy characters.In short the novel is at its heart about what happens to people when they fail to recognize human dignity, whether it is their own or someone elseā€™s.
 
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