Your objective: Evaluate each theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze the impacts of society on and relationships of
individuals of the early 20th century Southern culture. Use information from the charts to fulfill your essay requirement. See Assignment handout*
THEME: Language (Silence vs. Speaking Out)
Instances of using language (or lack of it):
(list character, example, & page #)
Ex: 1.Janie enjoys the silence of her natural
surroundings (p. 10-11)
Silence and/or Speaking out in the plot: (describe, quote specific text evidence, and include page #)
Ex:1. In order to reflect on her expectations of marriage and other possibilities ahead of her.
The lack of talking let’s her think about her Janie enjoys the silence under the pear tree
experiences and her grandmother’s advice. “She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant…the
inaudible voice of it all came to her…She felt am answer seeking her, but where? When? How?” (p. 11).
1. Prompt Choice #1: In the novel, speech is used as a mechanism of control and liberation, especially as Janie struggles to find her
- Symbolism – something that represents something else (ex. Napoleon = Joseph Stali
voice. During which important moments of her life is Janie silent? How does she choose when to speak out or to remain quiet?
Your objective: Evaluate each theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze the impacts of society on and relationships of
individuals of the early 20th century Southern culture. Use information from the charts to fulfill your essay requirement. See Assignment handout*
THEME: Power Struggle for Self-fulfillment
Characters that faces struggle:
Power struggle for fulfillment: (describe, quote specific evidence, and include page #)
(list name, example, and page #)
Ex: 1. Jody began his efforts to gain power by going around town taking every opportunity to make himself known and try to sell
Ex: 1. Jody tries to gain power through buying it. (p. 40-41)
them on the ideas he had for Eatonville. He buys land, real-estate, and other people’s time. “Janie was astonished to see the money Jody has
spent for the land come back to him so fast…Jody had canned goods piled on the floor and was selling so much he didn’t have time to go off on
his talking tours” (p.41)
Prompt Choice #2: How does the theme of the struggle for power for the sake of self-fulfillment contribute to
Janie’s decisions? As an alternative, you may also attribute this theme to Tea Cake or Jody Starks instead.
Your objective: Evaluate each theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze the impacts of society on and relationships of
individuals of the early 20th century Southern culture. Use information from the charts to fulfill your essay requirement. See Assignment handout*
THEME: Relationships vs. Independence
Characters that explore relationships, family
Indulging in Unhealthy Relationships and Seeking Independence: (describe, quote specific text
or love as well as independence:
evidence, and include page #)
(list name, example, and page #)
Ex: 1. Nanny wants Janie to marry a man who can provide for her and keep her safe when Nanny is no longer around. Janie
Ex: 1. Janie is coerced into marrying
Logan Killicks (p. 13-16).
doesn’t want to marry a man like Logan because she finds him dull. “…Nanny don’t make me marry Mr. Killicks...’Tain’t Logan
Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection.” (p. 15)
1. Prompt Choice #3: Many readers consider the novel a coming-of-age novel as Janie journeys through three marriages. What
initially attracts her to each man? What causes her to leave? What does she learn from each experience?
Your objective: Evaluate each theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze the impacts of society on and relationships of
individuals of the early 20th century Southern culture. Use information from the charts to fulfill your essay requirement. See Assignment handout*
THEME: Reverse Perspective of Class*
*The poor class seems to lead contented lives,
while the upper class lead jealous, pretentious
lives. (Can include aspects of race and gender)
The use of class perspectives (describe, quote specific text evidence, and include pg #)
Ex: 1. Tea Cake shares an experience he once had about a man who came into money and decided to spend a great deal of it on
a dinner party for his friends. Tea Cake ended up having to break up a fight at this party because two men were being petty toward
(Character name, example, and page #)
each other. Tea Cake realized how silly it was to fight when they could have just enjoyed the party like he did when he played his
Ex: 1. Tea Cake is amused by the rich folks he once knew
who got into a fight (p. 122-124)
new wife. He had done found out how rich people feel…all he needed was a great big ole hug and kiss from Janie.” (p.124
guitar for everyone and felt grateful for his new bride. “Just before day the party wore out. So Tea Cake hurried on back to his
Prompt Choice #4: How does Janie’s appearance and relative (changing levels of) wealth allow her to occupy (or seem to occupy) and
experience several different social classes in her lifetime?
Your objective: Evaluate each theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God in order to analyze the impacts of society on and relationships of
individuals of the early 20th century Southern culture. Use information from the charts to fulfill your essay requirement. See Assignment handout*
THEME: Memories and the Past
Characters who reflect on memories/past:
(list name, example, and page #)
Ex: 1. The novel begins with Janie telling her friend Pheoby
what she has been up to the last several years, the then the plot
begins as a flashback to before Janie was ever married.
Memories and the Past in the plot:
(describe, quote evidence from the text, and include page #)
Ex: 1. Janie reflects on her memories of the men she married and the experiences she shared with them throughout her life. Due to metaphors
used by Hurston comparing time to “everything old so the kissing, young darkness became a monstropolus old thing” and “a great tree leaf with
things suffered”, the audience gets a sense that some of what Janie remembers may be unreliable since it’s been so long or that some of the
memories so meaningless and old that she’d rather not remember them anyway.
Prompt Choice #5: How are memories differentiated from their usual state as set-in-stone remembrances of times past and
transformed into mercurial, changing things? How might Janie’s experiences change the way she views her memories? How is Nanny’s
telling of the past significant?