"A BEE FOR HER BLOOM": THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, A NARRATIVE OF SUBVERSION AND DOMINANCE

• Published in: Studia Universitatis Petru Maior. Philologia no. 25; pp. 133 - 143
• Main Author: Hashemi, Mahsa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Targu-Mures Universitatea Petru Maior 01.01.2018
• Subjects: American literature; Feminism; Hurston, Zora Neale (1891-1960); Novels; Oppression; Sex discrimination
• ISSN: 1582-9960; 2286-3206

A compelling tale of exuberance and elemental life force, Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God has been subject to contradictory criticisms. Originally dismissed for not being serious fiction, being fundamentally apolitical and for its apparent disregard for the dynamics of black aesthetics, the novel has recently received more controversial readings. The novel is mainly viewed as a literature of protest that condemns interracial and intraracial oppression and discrimination and as an instance of black feminism in which women display pivotal interrelationships, achieve feminine bonding, and arrive at liberation through this sororal nexus. Some focus on the demand for an altered recognition of female voice, and others criticize Hurston's protagonist, Janie, for being a passive hero whose happiness is merely a function of her successive marriages. While benefitting from these critical readings, the present study aims at exploring a different aspect; Janie is viewed not necessarily as a colored woman oppressed by the limiting hierarchies of a patriarchal context, but, rather, as a strong-willed figure of authority who uses whoever she finds on her path to her own advantage in order to achieve her ultimate goal. Hers is a narrative of conscious and persistent defiance, resilience and dominance. Not only does Janie defy subjugation and objectification, she also gets to exercise power, autonomy and control through her avid eagerness for life. She transforms vulnerability and the demand for conformity into authority and dominance. And the vital drive that fuels her actions and decisions is her need for individual gratification.