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Characters · 9
Janie Crawford
Janie Crawford is the main character and emotional heart of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Joe Starks (Jody)
Joe Starks, known as "Jody," is Janie Crawford's second husband and stands out as one of the novel's most formidable antagonists.
character
Logan Killicks
Logan Killicks is Janie Crawford's first husband in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Motor Boat
Motor Boat is a minor but memorable supporting character in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Mrs. Turner
Mrs. Turner is a minor yet thematically important character in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Nanny Crawford
Nanny Crawford is Janie's maternal grandmother and the woman who shapes—and arguably distorts—the entire course of Janie's early life in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Pheoby Watson
Pheoby Watson is Janie Crawford's closest and most loyal friend in Eatonville, Florida, and she plays a vital role in the narrative.
character
Sam Watson
Sam Watson is a minor yet memorable supporting character in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Tea Cake (Vergible Woods)
Tea Cake (Vergible Woods) is Janie Crawford's third and most transformative husband in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.
character
Key quotes · 10
“She had found a jewel down inside herself and she had wanted to walk where people could see her and gleam it around.”
This line comes near the end of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and is spoken by the third-person narrator, reflecting on Janie Crawford's profound change.
Narrator (reflecting on Janie Crawford) · Chapter 20
“The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His.”
This passage appears in Chapter 18 of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), set during the devastating hurricane that hits the Florida Everglades.
Narrator (third-person omniscient) · 18
“It was so easy to love Tea Cake.”
This line comes from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and is told from Janie Crawford's perspective as she reflects on her relationship with Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods, a lively younger man who becomes the great love of her life.
Janie Crawford (narrative voice)
“Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches.”
This lyrical passage appears near the opening of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and conveys an internal reflection of the protagonist, Janie Crawford.
Narrator (reflecting Janie Crawford's interiority) · Chapter 2
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”
This line appears near the opening of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, spoken by the third-person narrator as Janie Crawford begins to contemplate her life's journey.
Narrator · Chapter 2
“Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore.”
This lyrical metaphor is expressed by Janie Crawford towards the end of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), as she shares her reflections on life and her deep love for Tea Cake with her best friend Pheoby Watson.
Janie Crawford · Chapter 20
“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.”
This famous opening line from Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God comes from the book's all-knowing narrator.
Omniscient Narrator · Chapter 1
“Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves.”
This line is spoken by Janie Crawford near the end of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), as she shares her life's journey with her friend Pheoby Watson.
Janie Crawford · Chapter 20
“She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her.”
This lyrical passage appears in Chapter 2 of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), narrated in the third person as Janie Crawford, the protagonist, lies beneath a blossoming pear tree during her adolescence.
Narrator (free indirect discourse / Janie Crawford) · Chapter 2
“Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget.”
This line is found in the opening chapter of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), spoken by the novel's all-knowing narrator as Janie Crawford returns to Eatonville after a long absence.
Omniscient Narrator · Chapter 1
Symbols · 6
Janie's Hair
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's long, flowing hair represents her independence, sensuality, and resistance to societal control.
The Head Rag
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the head rag represents how Janie's identity, autonomy, and voice are suppressed by patriarchal control.
The Horizon
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the horizon stands for endless possibilities, personal growth, and the ongoing human search for fulfillment.
The Hurricane
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the hurricane showcases nature's overwhelming power and the divine forces that shape human destiny.
The Mule
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the mule represents oppression, the weight of burdens, and the degrading labor placed on Black people, especially Black women.
The Pear Tree
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the pear tree symbolizes Janie's vision of true romantic and spiritual fulfillment—a love that feels natural, mutual, and flourishing.
Literary devices · 12
Extended Metaphor
The novel introduces its central extended metaphor early on: "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.
Simile
Hurston uses similes with remarkable creativity and depth, drawing on the natural and folk life of rural Black Florida.
Imagery
Sensory imagery fills the novel, especially in its depiction of the natural world.
Symbolism
The pear tree is a key symbol in the novel, representing Janie's vision of mutual love, spiritual fulfillment, and harmony with nature.
Narrative Poem
Hurston organizes the novel as a frame narrative: Janie comes back to Eatonville and shares her story with her friend Pheoby, who will then share it with the community.
Dramatic Monologue
Much of the novel's emotional impact comes from extended passages of direct speech in African American vernacular English.
Personification
Hurston gives human qualities to natural forces, especially during the hurricane.
Metaphor
Beyond the extended pear-tree metaphor, the novel weaves in local sayings that hold deep philosophical significance.
Irony
Hurston uses irony on several fronts.
Alliteration
Hurston's writing has a strong musical quality, largely achieved through alliteration.
Motif
The horizon appears throughout the novel, beginning with the first line — 'Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board' — and culminating in the final scene where Janie 'pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net' and 'called in her soul to come and see.'
Free Verse
While the novel is prose fiction, some sections capture the rhythm and structure of free verse, especially during the hurricane sequence and the pear-tree epiphanies.
Vocabulary · 23
horizon
The distant line where the sky meets the earth, used here as a symbol for dreams, freedom, and the farthest reach of a person's ambitions and desires.
noun · Chapter 1
delegate
A person sent to represent others at a meeting or gathering; here Janie uses it playfully to mean she has been a full participant in the great experience of living.
noun · Chapter 1
inaudible
Too quiet or subtle to be heard with the ears; here it describes a feeling or meaning that can only be sensed, not literally listened to.
adjective · Chapter 2
alto chant
A low, steady, humming song; here it describes the deep, continuous buzzing sound the bees make as they move among the pear tree's blossoms.
phrase · Chapter 2
pulpit
The raised platform in a church from which a preacher delivers sermons; here used figuratively to mean a position of authority and public voice that was denied to Black women.
noun · Chapter 2
cosmic loneliness
A deep, universal sense of being utterly alone in the world, not just socially isolated but disconnected from any meaningful bond with another person or with life itself.
phrase · Chapter 3
unmated
Without a true romantic or life partner; describing someone who has not yet found a person they are genuinely matched with in love.
adjective · Chapter 3
classed himself
Placed himself in a category or rank entirely by his own decision and will, without waiting for others to define him; acted as his own judge of his worth and status.
phrase · Chapter 4
sun-up
Sunrise; the moment the sun rises at the start of the day, used here to represent natural, organic vitality and the promise of new beginnings.
noun · Chapter 4
sensibilities
A person's capacity to notice and feel things emotionally and socially; here it refers to Janie's growing awareness of how others perceive and react to her new status.
noun · Chapter 5
indulge
To allow oneself to take part in a pleasurable or desired activity; here Joe forbids Janie from joining in the storytelling and conversation she enjoys on the porch.
verb · Chapter 6
trashy
Of low social standing or poor character in Joe's opinion; he uses this word to dismiss the ordinary townspeople whose company and talk he considers beneath Janie's dignity as the mayor's wife.
adjective · Chapter 6
change uh life
Menopause; the natural stage when a woman's menstrual cycle ends, used here as a cruel insult by Joe to mock Janie's aging body in front of others.
phrase · Chapter 7
gleam
To show off or display something so that others can see and admire it; here Janie wants to share the inner worth she has discovered in herself with the world around her.
verb · Chapter 7
kerchief
A square of cloth tied around the head to cover the hair; Joe required Janie to wear one in the store, and removing it becomes an act of freedom after his death.
noun · Chapter 9
self-determination
The power to make one's own choices and control one's own life, free from the authority of others; here Janie discovers that being a widow does not automatically grant her this freedom.
noun · Chapter 9
widowhood
The state or period of being a widow — a woman whose husband has died; here it refers specifically to the social role and expectations placed on Janie after Joe's death.
noun · Chapter 9
revelation
A sudden, powerful disclosure of something previously hidden or unknown; here it describes an overwhelming moment of emotional and spiritual insight that Janie feels.
noun · Chapter 12
meatskins
A contemptuous term for people who are all outward show and no real substance; used here to dismiss gossips who make noise just to prove they exist.
noun · Chapter 12
muck
The dark, rich, swampy soil of the Florida Everglades farmland, highly fertile and used for growing crops like beans; also the name workers gave to the whole farming community there.
noun · Chapter 14
colorism
Discrimination or prejudice based on the lightness or darkness of a person's skin tone, especially within the same racial group, favoring those with lighter complexions.
noun · Chapter 16
rabid
Infected with rabies, a deadly disease that attacks the brain and nervous system, causing violent behavior, confusion, and inability to swallow; here it describes the dog that bites Tea Cake.
adjective · Chapter 19
acquitted
Formally declared not guilty of a crime by a court of law; here Janie is found not guilty of murder after the jury hears that she shot Tea Cake in self-defense.
adjective · Chapter 20