Zora Neale Hurston
1891-1960
Early Life
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama in 1891, yet
throughout her life she was famous for changing the date of her birth
(Lillios). Raised in Eatonville, Florida, Hurston moved north to
Washington D.C. to attend Howard Prep School and Howard University
(“Zora Neale Hurston”). In 1925 she came to New York “with $1.50 in
her pocket” (Blumenthal). She won a scholarship to Barnard College
that same year, where she earned a degree in anthropology studying
under the famous Franz Boaz (“Zora Neale Hurston”). Hurston
returned to the South in 1927 to research African American folktales,
“convinced that folklore is the art people create before they know there
is such a thing as art” (Blumenthal).
Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance
Hurston was popular among her friends during the
Harlem Renaissance for her “wit, irreverence, and folkwriting style” (Blumenthal). She won second prize in a 1925
literary contest for her story, “Spunk,” and she went on to
write more short stories, journal articles, plays, novels, and
an autobiography (Blumenthal). Her first novel was Of
Mules and Men (Lillios). Her most famous novel, Their
Eyes Were Watching God, has influenced generations of
African American writers (Lillios).
Their Eyes Were Watching God
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.
For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail
forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing
until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his
dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to
remember, and remember everything they don’t want to
forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things
accordingly” (Hurston 1).
Impact of Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God was a financial success for Hurston, but it
was also highly criticized by many of her peers (Lillios). Richard Wright said
that the novel carried “no theme, no message, no thought” and stated that the
novel discussed the “quaint” aspects of African American life that would appeal
to a white audience (qtd. in “Zora Neale Hurston”). Hurston, in the meantime,
criticized the idea that black lives were merely a reaction against white racial
oppression, and she celebrated the richness of her culture (Lillios). Hurston’s
novel ceased to be published during her own life, but it experienced a
resurgence in the 1960’s, and then again in 1975 when Alice Walker published
her article “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston” (Lillios). Their Eyes Were
Watching God was republished in 1978, and it is now considered an important
part of America’s literary canon (Lillios).
Works Cited
Blumenthal, Ralph. “Party for Zora Neale Hurston, Obscure no More.” New York Times. Late Edition
(East Coast), Aug 15 2002. ProQuest. Web. 5 Mar. 2015
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998.
Print.
Lillios, Anna. “Hurston’s Life.” Digital Archive Center for Research. University of Central Florida,
n.d. Web. 5 March 2015.
“Zora Neale Hurston.” Nwhm.org. National Women’s History Museum, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.