Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Sight Were Viewing God, Hurston uses a number of different items because symbols to convey the significance of certain incidents that occur in Janie’s, the key characters, life-span. In this new, Janie’s your life moves in stages. With each level comes another type of item of clothing that represents one more relationship and reflects Janie’s inner self during that period in time. Using an kitchen apron, a head rag, a blue satin dress, and overalls, Hurston communicates just how Janie grows and evolved as a person throughout her relationships with Logan Killicks, Jody Starks, and most significantly, Tea Dessert.
Initially of the story, Janie’s unites a man named Logan Killicks, a very good farmer. During their relationship, Janie wears an apron. The apron implies that Janie can be described as housewife, only taking requests and undertaking what the girl with told to accomplish. During the course of their particular marriage, Janie came to understand that she “knew now that marriage did not generate love (25).
Janie does not appreciate Logan. The girl married him for Nanny, her grandma, and never was able to develop the love for him, as she desired. At this point, Janie begins seeing Jody Starks, and in the end leaves Logan. Upon departing, she “feels the apron tied about her waist. She untied it and flung that on a low bush close to one road and strolled on (32) as if discharge of being a housewife and allowing very little to move on; no strings attached.
In Jane’s second marriage with Jody, Janie is forced to put on a mind rag by Jody. This hides Janie’s hair. Janie’s hair is extremely different from different women in her community. Her hair is direct, like white colored women, in contrast to curly. Her hair symbolizes her uniqueness and freedom. By making Janie to cover her hair and wear the head rag, Jody extinguishes Janie’s self-reliance. Jody controls Janie, abuse her, and destroys her self-esteem. The girl conforms to his wishes and requirements, not even fighting back when he hits her. The head cloth represents Jody’s dominance above Janie in their relationship. Eventually, this demonstrates that their particular relationship in not depending on true love, which ends in a failed relationship.
After Jody drops dead, Janie’s meets Tea Cake, who buys her a blue silk dress. This kind of dress is usually worn in their wedding party and is of high significance inspite of the small amount of time it can be worn by Janie. This can be a symbol of your new start with Tea Cake. In addition , it has only recently been nine a few months since Jody’s death. In one stage. Janie says to Pheoby:
Ah ain’t grievin’ so just why do My oh my hafta mourn? Tea Dessert love myself in blue, so Ah wears this. Jody isn’t never in his life chosen no color for me. Sobre world picked out black and white colored for mournin’, Joe didn’t. So My oh my wasn’t wearin’ it pertaining to him. Oh was wearin’ it pertaining to de rest of y’all (113).
This implies that Janie is definitely sad regarding his fatality since the girl with not mourning, as the community believes the lady should do. Janie did not genuinely love Jody, however , the lady does like Tea Wedding cake greatly and is “always in blue mainly because Tea Pastry told her to wear it(110). Afterwards in their relationship, Janie turned her dress to overalls. These overalls are nothing elegant and are put on for her operate the areas with Tea Cake. For this reason, they are confirmed to be a symbol of equality and true love. Neither Tea Cake neither Janie happen to be of higher visibility than the other person as the men were in Janie’s previous relationships. “What if Eatonville could observe her in now in her blue denim overalls and hefty shoes? (134) can be described as thought that Janie simply laughters at. Janie’s love is usually proven in her ability to become Tea Cake’s equal despite the actual people of the area say about how exactly he is poor.
Janie continues to wear the overalls after Tea Truffles death, once she comes back to Eatonville. She will not dress up to mourn. Janie “went on in her overalls. The girl was as well busy sense grief to dress just like grief (189). This further demonstrates Janie’s emotions for Tea Cake more than anything. With Jody, Janie mourned his death and didn’t take care of him, showing that mourning doesn’t imply she was sad. In this situation, Janie does not stick to what is considered as the right thing to do. The lady knows how sad she feels about Tea Cake that is certainly the only thing that matters to her at this point in time.
The usage of clothing because symbols can be described as dominant element of Hurston’s composing in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It effectively conveys Janie’s emotions and thoughts during her lifestyle. The significance of clothes shows just how she started out following what is considered “right and becoming what she desires; someone who knowledgeable true love. Janie wore a great apron to get Nanny’s dream, a mind rag to fulfill Jody’s need for dominance, and a green satin gown and overalls for real love and equality with Tea Cake.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eye Were Observing God: A Novel. Ny: Perennial Collection, 1990. Print out.
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