Blog Literary Context and Conversation

                                          THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

           

     In the article Discerning Nostalgia in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Maureen McKnight states that the novel did not receive critical acclaim at the time it was written, because it was considered by critics too sentimental, nostalgic, and did not address the issues and politics of the times for African Americans. Instead, it was looked upon as Hurston exploiting their lives during that time, and they were looked upon with pity by superior races. Another factor was that Hurston resisted the Harlem Renaissance, and the argument “that “Negro Art” should advance the situation of African Americans during the "Jim Crow era”, and that her writing portrayed them as simple people.

     As she analyzes the novel and the author in this article, McKnight’s views are that she does not see Hurston’s nostalgia as regressive, rather, believes that looking back at slavery and the reconstruction in America can allow the vision of a more balanced and just future. She discusses the pear tree in the book, and Janie’s sexual awakening as a black woman who is searching for love and more in life that what Nanny had wanted for her.

     I think the book shows a black woman who has deep feelings and wants more from life as much as any other woman. She becomes strong through the journey of her experiences of her relationships with her husbands, and especially with the love she has for Tea Cake. She is able to cope with his death, and return to Eatonville as a strong woman and be her own independent person, and not care what the townspeople think. There is a strong correlation with nature throughout the book with the pear tree, the mule and the hurricane. These are forces in life that Janie was able to learn from, and be able to have her own voice about her future.

     The analysis in Spark Notes of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, seemed to be discussed in simpler terms than in the research article by McKnight. The main issues and highlights of each chapter were described in great detail, and describes that the book is Janie’s quest to find her voice and in turn, self-empowerment. I felt this is the journey of Janie finding herself, and she has to experience some terrible things with Jody, and that made her a stronger person. Her love for Tea Cake allows her to overlook some of his selfish behaviors, and the way he manipulates her for his own needs, yet he loves her deeply.

     The theme that was common in both the article by McKnight and the Spark Notes is the courage Janie has dealing with the death of Tea Cake and facing the trial she must go through to prove her innocence in being responsible for his death. Once she is found innocent, she can go forward with her life and be independent. She returns to Eatonville, not worried about what the gossips think, and is finally ready to be her own person on her own terms.

Discerning Nostalgia in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

McKnight, Maureen. Southern Quarterly44.4 (Summer 2007): 83-115.

Spark Notes: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/eyes/section12.rhtml

Extra Credit Blog

I watched Their Eyes Were Watching God with Halle Berry who plays Janie in the film. I liked her in the role, and thought she was very believable as the character. The beginning of the film doesn't spend much time when she is with Nanny, and just shows her looking at the pear tree almost as an epiphany, and then she's kissing Johnny Taylor. The outfit she's wearing doesn't seem appropriate for the time period, especially when Nanny is so strict and Janie is only 16. It does not go into detail, which is disappointing as Janie's awakening and the pear tree is such an important part of the book. Nanny marries her off to Logan, and it quickly jumps to Janie running off with Joe Stark, and they go to Eatonville. It is fairly realistic in how he starts controlling her now that she is the Mayor's wife, and the way Janie's spirit is slowly dying being married to him. That part of the book and her marriage to Jody is shortened in the movie, and moves to Janie meeting Tea Cake. The movie is not as in depth as the book about her feelings for Jody and his death.
     Janie  is finally able to be herself and be free and happy with Tea Cake. I think Janie is really portrayed as an unconventional free spirit who doesn't seem to care what anyone in Eatonville thinks about the relationship. When Tea Cake takes off that first time, this is an important scene as it really shows how upset and worried Janie is that he might prove all the gossips right, and has run off with her money. When he returns, her anger and the fight they have is more intense than in the book, and her fears and insecurities that he had left is clearly shown. Janie is deeply in love with Tea Cake, and that is evident as their relationship progresses. When the hurricane hits is an intense scene, and the main theme is how deeply they love each other. When Janie has to kill Tea Cake to save herself is a very intense and sad part of the movie, and true to the book.
     I really enjoyed the movie, and it followed the story line in the book fairly closely, as far as the relationships of the characters. It doesn't focus as much, though, on Janie trying to find herself and her journey doing that, but more as a woman trying to find true love,

The House of Mirth

I really enjoyed reading The House of Mirth, and learning about the way the upper class lived to just have a good time and be entertained.  It seemed to be such a shallow existence. Lily Bart, in her pursuit of a wealthy husband makes many poor decisions, which ultimately ends with her death.

      For Lily, all the emphasis is put on her looks and that she is very beautiful. The fact that she is getting older, and the social whirl is taking its toll on her as Seldon noticed, “under her dark hat and veil she regained the girlish smoothness, the purity of tint, that she was beginning to lose after eleven years of late hours and indefatigable dancing.”(p. 1-2) That Lily is 29, and still not married and her looks are starting to fade is of great concern. This is an issue that women must contend within our society today. That outward appearance is so important, and women are always being sent the message to do everything to retain their youthful appearance and beauty. Poor Lily has to hear from Mrs. Fisher, “Your hair’s wonderful, Lily. Thinner-what does it matter? It’s so light and alive.”(p.196)

        The women in the book are always focused on their beautiful clothes and jewels, and are purely ornamental. They are to be a reflection of their husband’s wealth and success, and have no power of their own. In Lily’s case, her beauty and lively personality has made her popular, but once she falls out of favor with Bertha Dorset, it’s almost as if she has become invisible. She doesn't have the protection of a wealthy husband, so her status has changed drastically. I think this can also apply today for women who are single, have little financial security, and can be viewed differently in society. I think we still see that same type of status for women who have successful spouses which place them in a higher financial and social level which gives them a certain amount of power, in comparison to someone like Lily who is totally alone.

        I really wanted Lily to stand up for herself, and use the letters to put a stop to Bertha Dorset. However, I could see the position Lily was in, and being so alone, made it a difficult decision for her. Again, she didn’t have the same power as the wealthy women, and it may not have made a difference or have them accept her back into their high society group.

The Color Purple

This was a really good book, and I liked that Celie finds happiness after all the abuse she suffered by the men in her life. She’s such a sad, frightened girl, and evolves into a more confident woman, but still doesn’t think she is good enough for someone to love her. When Shug takes off with Germaine, Celie is depressed, but then just accepts it. She doesn’t seem to think anyone could love her, “Sometimes I think Shug never love me. What would she love? Nothing special here for nobody to love.” (pg. 259) Celie has been through so much abuse in her life, both emotional and physical, she really doesn’t believe she deserves to be happy. “Celie, I say, happiness is just a trick in your case. Just cause you never had any before Shug, you thought it was time to have some, and that it was gon last.”(pg. 259)

I think Alice Walker is showing us in the book that when women suffer such terrible abuse in their lives, it leaves lasting emotional scars and damage which they may never completely recover from. Celie wants nothing to do with men, and who can blame her? I think at that point, even in her relationship with Shug, deep down she doesn’t truly believe she deserves to be loved by anyone or be happy. When Shug writes to Celie to tell her she’s coming home, Celie realizes she can live without Shug if she has to and still have a good life, “If she come home, I be happy. If she don’t, I be content. And then I figure this is the lesson I was supposed to learn.” (pg. 283) It seems like Celie has learned she can rely on herself and have her friends and be happy.

                                                     Kindred

After reading Kindred by Octavia Butler, I was very moved about the abuse and sexual assault the women slaves had to endure. They had absolutely no power, and were victims of rape by the white slave owners, and then the hired help, when the master no longer had any use for them. They were considered possessions, without any feelings at all, and that is difficult to absorb. One example is when Jake Edwards had told Dana she was going to be doing the wash, and that Tess was going to the fields. “Poor Tess. Weylin had tired of her as a bed mate, and passed her casually to Edwards. She had been afraid Edwards would send her to the fields where he could keep an eye on her.” And Tess crying with fear, “You do everything they tell you, and they still treat you like an old dog. Go here, open your legs; go there, bust your back. What they care! I ain’t s’pose to have no feelin’s!” (pg. 181) Tess is powerless to change her situation.

Dana is very vulnerable being thrown back into 1815, and as a woman is very much at risk for the very same thing- the possibility of sexual assault, and it’s something women face in our times, also. Becoming a victim of sexual assault is an issue women have always had to deal with, and in Kindred, there was no legal system to protect a woman of color, as they weren’t even considered human beings, and as slaves, had no rights. And I should add, the legal system today, does not always protect a women when she is the victim of sexual assault. In the patriarchal society in Kindred, the white women had very few rights, either, and were merely appendages of their husbands and fathers. However, it was no comparison to what the black women suffered as slaves. I think Octavia Butler was able to truly convey in this book, the horrible injustices the women slaves were subjected to by their masters, and society as a whole in those times. 

              The Handmaid's Tale

After reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, I was struck by the relationship the Commander initiates with Offred, and his willingness to break the rules of Gilead. On pg 158, he says his wife doesn't understand him, they hardly talk, and that they don't have much in common. Offred thinks it's the same old thing; the rationale men use to justify cheating on their wives.

The women are held to a higher standard, and on pg.167 she talks about the Wives buying Soul Scrolls, as it is a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime and helps their husbands' careers. There is a double standard in Gilead, and the men feel justified to have mistresses, and still follow the old ways, while reading the Bible and holding Prayvaganzas. I think Atwood is showing that even with the extreme religious society of Gilead, the women are the oppressed and have lost any freedom that they had, while the men continue to experience the forbidden pleasures. In the instance at the gentlemen's club, on pg. 237, the Commander says, "You can't cheat Nature. Nature demands variety, for men. It stands to reason, it's part of the procreational strategy. It's Nature's plan." He justifies his behavior blaming it on Nature, and uses his power and position in the patriarchal society to control her.

The Hunger Games

Katniss

Why did I wait so long? I've been totally ignoring the constant urgings from my daughter to read the books and watch the movies. I completely loved this book, and couldn't put it down. I've already been through the second one and am now reading Mockingjay, I am so glad this was the first book we were going to read and discuss in our class.

I'm going to examine the role of Katniss Everdeen as the heroine with traits we normally associate with masculinity, and the departure from the typical female character that we usually see. After the death of her father, we see Katniss become the caretaker of her family, hunting for food and taking on the responsibility for their survival. She is the strong one who is fearless, and will not back down from anyone who gets in her way. She protects her sister Prim at all costs, and takes her place in the games. We typically see this as a male role being the hunter and provider for the family. 

The affection Katniss has for Rue seems to be because she reminds her of her younger sister Prim. Katniss looks out for Rue and tries to keep her safe in the same way she does with Prim in taking care of her. She's in the role of the protector which is another trait that is usually seen in the masculine roles. Katniss tries to save Rue, and when she fails is determined to destroy the Careers and make them pay for her death. Not only is Katniss the caretaker and protector, but is now the warrior determined to avenge Rue.

Katniss saves Peeta repeatedly, and we usually see the male as the fierce warrior with the woman being more the supportive in the shadows role. In the case of these two, the roles are reversed with Katniss being the tough, always hide your emotions, whereas, Peeta is the gentler kinder person. 

Image: http://guardianlv.com/2014/04/katniss-everdeen-is-positive-for-feminism/