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Imagery In Their Eyes Were Wat - Online Essay

Imagery In Their Eyes Were Wat

Metaphors and other such literary devices have been used for centuries by authors to create multiple meanings and hidden significance. Sometimes, an author will work with one image throughout a novel, and other times multiple images will be used to illustrate the many messages of a story. Still, few authors have achieved the kind of metaphorical beauty Zora Hurston realizes with in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Hurston's most famous metaphor is the likening of Janie to a pear tree, but perhaps the most important symbolism can be found in the very first paragraph of the novel:
"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others ...

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stop. Another key symbol presented here is that of the horizon. Always far off in the distance, it represents Janie's desire to move forward. Unlike the others who are content to sit on their porches and watch the sun set, Janie wants to travel and see the world, and the horizon symbolizes the unknown land that lies beyond.
Joe Starks is a selfish character, driven only by his desire to be powerful. To illustrate how Joe is different from the other males in the book, Hurston gives him a trademark cigar to smoke. Joe's dominance over Janie is symbolized by the rags he makes her wear on her head. The rags humiliate Janie, and she is weak when she has them on. However, when Joe dies, Janie destroys the rags, changing the symbol from domination to liberation.
Hurston isn't just concerned with deep philosophical undertones, throughout the novel are peppered wonderful figurative descriptions of everyday things. She closes chapter 10 with a description of the moon rising, its "amber ...

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Imagery In Their Eyes Were Wat. (2004, April 20). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Imagery-In-Their-Eyes-Were-Wat/6573

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 4/20/2004 06:23:29 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 511
Pages: 2

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