Matthew Dahlager
Their eyes Were Watching God Literary Device Analysis
"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" (1). This is an
example of one of the many literary elements from the novel, “Their Eyes Were
Watching God” by Zora Hurston. In her
novel, she uses foreshadowing, metaphors, and irony to create a wonderfully
creative novel.
Throughout
the whole story, Hurston uses foreshadowing to display how the story will
unfold. The first few sentences are an
example of how the whole story will unfold.
The beginning of the novel speaks of ships at a distance and their
unknown cargo and the end of the novel talks about the full fishing nets of
Janie’s spirit. When Janie gets married
to Mr. Killicks, we read that “long before the year was up, Janie noticed that
her husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her.” (27). We begin to suspect
that Janie’s marriage is unhappy at this point, but we soon learn this
statement carries more weight when she runs away with Joe Starks. The very next chapter starts, “On the train
the next day, Joe didn’t make many speeches with rhymes to her…” (34) Because of the way Janie’s last marriage
went, the reader now has a seed of doubt about this one as well. There is also a more obvious form of
foreshadowing that one cannot over look.
When Janie sees the Indians and animals heading east to escape
something, she asks one what they are running from. The Indian responds, “Going to high ground.
Saw-grass bloom. Hurricane coming.” (154)
Sure enough, a massive hurricane does come and results in the death of
Janie’s true love Tea Cakes.
Foreshadowing is a major element in the story. Metaphors, like foreshadowing, help make this
a creative and intelligent novel.
Hurston’s
ingenious use of metaphors in the end of the novel creates a more vivid world
for the reader to engage in. One example
of a significant metaphor is Death.
Throughout the story, death is a character. When one reads death it has a capitol “D”
Death. In chapter 8 one reads, “So Janie
began to think of Death. Death, that strange being with huge square toes who
lived way in the West. The great one who
lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a
roof.”(84) This description of Death
foreshadows Joe Starks’ death. After the
hurricane that is responsible for Tea Cakes death in chapter 19, we read, “And
then again HIM-with-the-square-toes had gone back to his house. He stood once more and again in his high flat
house without sides to it and without a roof with his soulless sword standing
upright in his hand.”(168) This vivid character represents Death, and just like
with Joe Starks, he precedes the death of the man to whom Janie is married. Hurston was very creative in the way she
incorporated metaphors into her story.
The literary
device used throughout “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is irony. Irony is defined as a reality different from
what appears to be true. All creative
novels must use irony in some form.
Hurston uses all tree forms of irony in her story. She uses Verbal Irony in the beginning when
the old women are gossiping about Janie.
Dramatic Irony is displayed in several places including when Janie
speaks with her friend Pheoby, about leaving town with Tea Cake. Janie’s marriage to Joe Starks is an example
of Situational Irony. They are expected
to live happily ever after, but that is not how their story ends. Irony is a key aspect for this gripping novel.
Hurston
uses many literary devices to engage her readers and to make them a part of her
creative novel. It is paramount for
readers of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” to understand Hurston’s use of
Foreshadowing, Metaphors, and Irony. In
order to better understand the meaning of Zora Hurston’s ingenious novel, and
all other works of literature, one must analyze the literary devices and think
about the meaning of the words.
Works Cited
Hurston,
Zora. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York, New York: Harperperennial, 2006.
