Their Eyes Were Watching God

• Themes, Symbols

How does one find

despite social, economic, and political constraints?

Point of View

• 3rd person omniscient narrator
• Frame Story
• Shifts to colloquial Black voice
• Dialogue shows dialect

Bildungsroman

• Janie comes of age
• Spiritual Journey
• Finds Happiness, Love
• Independence
• Innocence to Maturity 

Folklore and Folkways

• traditions, beliefs, customs
• stories, jokes, songs
• crafts, art
• passed down orally

Power of Language

• Janie is silent
• Voices used to control her
• She begins to develop voice
• She tells story--she is in control

Love and Relationships Vs Independence

• She views love as bee/blossom
• Men provide ways for her development
• Through TC, she finds fulfillment
• She is enlightened/finds herself
• She is secure in independence at end.

Symbolic Settings for Journey

• West Florida
• Eatonville
• Muck
• Eatonville

Symbols

• bee/blossom on Pear tree
• Janie's hair/clothing
• Horizon
• Trees
• Hurricane

Symbols

• Mule
• Hurricane
• Joe Starks
• Janie

Motifs

• Gender Roles/Conflicts
• Race and Racism
• Community
• Spirituality