What does the dog symbolize in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

The dog represents the hate and bloodshed racism brings, which wants to drag Janie down with it. The water is the barrier that keeps hate at bay: her spirit. Tea Cake represents Janie’s love and strength, never failing to destroy the racism and keep her, her dreams, and her life intact.

How does the mule symbolize Janie?

The abused yellow mule symbolizes mistreatment and suppression that Janie and women like her face. The mule is constantly mocked and seen as a lowly creature. Similarly, on the hierarchy of society, Janie and her fellow black women are depicted on the lowest rungs of society.

What symbols in the novel represent love and marriage to Janie?

The pear tree symbolizes the passionate and erotic love that Janie experiences when she gets her first kiss as a teenager. The tree is dishonored by her loveless marriage, but becomes active once again when she meets her third husband, Tea Cake. Janie’s hair is a symbol of her independence.

What do flowers symbolize in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

Plants/Flowers These often represent the beauty and fertility of the earth. In the novel, they are often associated with female characters.

What does the pear tree symbolize in their eyes?

Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston employs the symbolism of a pear tree – its mysteries and wonders – as a representation of Janie’s questions, hopes, and aspirations. The tree embodies the roots of her memories, the branches of her vision, and the blossoming of her dreams.

What does the mule symbolize in their eyes?

Mule Symbol Analysis The image of the mule emerges repeatedly in different contexts throughout the novel, but remains consistent in its figurative meaning as a symbol of victimization and bondage.

What does Joe Starks symbolize?

Joe is the symbol of materialism and superficiality. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Jody (Joe) Starks is Janie’s second husband. Janie feels stifled in her marriage to Logan, so when Joe comes along, Janie sees him as a symbol for freedom and carefree living.

What does the gate symbolize in their eyes?

Meaning and Importance As Janie says, it is where her conscious life began and marked Janie’s entrance into womanhood. The gate was an important part of the kiss. Gates can symbolize leaving one’s past and entering into a new beginning. In this moment, the gate was the doorway to Janie’s future.

What does God represent in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

The God in the title refers to these divine forces throughout the world, both beautiful and threatening, that Janie encounters. Her quest is a spiritual one because her ultimate goal is to find her place in the world, understand who she is, and be at peace with her environment.

What do the buzzards symbolize in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

When he bought the skinny, abused mule from Matt, he did not give Janie credit for suggesting he do so. After the poor animal died, by staging a funeral, Joe sought the townspeople’s praise for his generosity. The buzzards’ attack shows the real status of the mule and, by extension, social attitudes toward women.

What does the pear tree symbolize in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

What does the pear tree symbolize?

Since ancient times, even before the written word, the Wild Pear tree has been honoured as a sacred tree which symbolises prosperity, good health and future happiness. The shape of the pear has represented the female form in the art world for centuries, creating a strong symbol of fruitfulness and femininity.

What does the hurricane mean in their eyes watching God?

The hurricane symbolizes the all-powerful force of nature, which trumps even the most intense exertions of power by humans, such as Jody’s abusive need for control, or Mrs. Turner’s sense of racial hierarchy… (read full symbol analysis) Get the entire Their Eyes Were Watching God LitChart as a printable PDF.

What are the god symbols in their eyes were watching God?

Their Eyes Were Watching God Symbols. Janie invokes the symbol of the horizon repeatedly throughout the novel; to Janie, the horizon symbolizes the realm of the possible, that which she can dream about. Janie has her first experience of sexual awakening under the blooming pear tree in spring, just before her first kiss with Johnny Taylor.

What does the mule symbolize in their eyes were watching God?

When Starks dies, the first thing Janie does is burn all of her head rags, an assertion of independence. Janie’s long, straight hair represents her individuality. Janie’s hair is not like the hair of other women in the community and thus it distinguishes her. The mule symbolizes mistreatment and cruelty, especially of women.

How to study their eyes were watching God?

Examine figurative language literary techniques like personification, symbolism, repetition, and define eye dialect to determine how Hurston creates a distinctive voice in the novel. Demonstrate an understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.