By Sonja Munson
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” In the very first line of her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale
Hurston uses the literary device of metaphor. This thought of a distant ship
holding the fulfilment of our wishes and desires is a striking introduction to
a novel which was deeply personal to Hurston. She was a very expressive author,
using metaphor generously throughout her writing. In this evaluation, I will
give five examples of metaphor found in the text and explain their significance
in regards to the main character, Janie.
In the fourth chapter of the novel, Janie is unhappy with
her arranged marriage to Logan Killicks, and Joe Starks has convinced her to
run away and marry him instead. After they are married, Janie believes “From
now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled
over everything” (32). This fanciful picture reflects on how Janie is looking
forward to her life with Joe as the fulfillment of her dreams. Since she was a
young girl, she saw love and marriage as a beautiful thing displayed in the way
the bees brought the flowers to full bloom. Eventually, when Janie is
unsatisfied in her marriage to Joe, the reasons are understandable. The lack of
flower dust and springtime in their relationship leaves her discontent.
As Joe becomes more and more suppressive of Janie’s
independent spirit, she is upset with him but does not express her frustration.
In chapter six, Joe places the responsibility of helping run the store on
Janie’s shoulders, and she has struggles with certain aspects of the job. “But
Joe kept saying that she could do it if she wanted to and he wanted her to use
her privileges. That was the rock she battered against” (54). Hurston helps
readers visualize Janie’s struggle against Joe’s expectations by describing
them as a rock which she is beaten against. It is as if Janie is a powerful
wave crashing onto rocky shore.
Joe and Janie’s relationship continues to go downhill as
Joe’s health begins to decline. Janie goes to him and confronts him, telling
him that he has changed since she ran away with him, and his love of self has
left no room for anyone else. As she speaks, he is caught in a last struggle:
“The icy sword of the square-toed one had cut off his breath and left his hands
in a pose of agonizing protest. Janie gave them peace on his breast…” (87). Hurston
personifies Death as a square-toed being, unstoppable and all-powerful. The
metaphor she uses here about Joe’s breath being “cut off” provides a vivid
image of the suddenness of death. The sound of Joe’s last gasp echoes in
readers’ ears as Janie contemplates her dead husband’s face.
Janie gives Joe an extravagant funeral service in chapter
nine. Her inner response to his death is not that of a grieving, devastated
widow, as society might expect. Janie dresses in mourning, but she is not by
any means overcome with grief. She has come to terms with Jody’s death and
accepted it, and Hurston explains “She did not reach outside for anything, nor
did the things of death reach inside to disturb her calm” (88). Janie does not
sink into death’s despair or let its grief inside her. The way Hurston words
this metaphor displays how Janie protects herself from sorrow by avoiding
violent reactions of any kind. She does not reach out and grieve, and in turn
death’s pain does not penetrate into her heart.
As Janie gets used to running the store and living alone,
she happens to meet a young man who goes by the name of Tea Cake. After only
one evening spent together, they become good friends. Tea Cake encourages Janie
to play checkers with him, something Joe would have frowned upon. They enjoy
making small talk and Tea Cake helps Janie close up the store at the end of the
night. As he walks her home, Janie realizes that she does not need to be afraid
of him having ill intentions towards her. “Tea Cake wasn’t strange. Seemed as
if she had known him all her life” (99). At the end of the chapter, Hurston
uses another metaphor to describe Janie’s emotions about this new relationship:
“So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was
drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day” (99). The picture of
moonlight quenching the thirst of the day reflects how Janie feels fulfilled
after she meets Tea Cake. She sees the possibility of him filling the desires
she has had ever since she was a young girl.
Throughout all of these examples we see Hurston’s mastery of
creating vivid images and showing us emotions through words by using metaphor
in her writing. In Their Eyes Were
Watching God, metaphor plays a big part in aiding the readers’
understanding of the moods, emotions, and feelings of Janie’s character.
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