Janie Crawford's Emancipation

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how in "Their Eyes Were Watching God," Hurston centers on the life of an African-American woman, Janie Crawford, to demonstrate women's bondage to the slavery system and a patriarchal society. The paper examines these themes of emancipation from a patriarchal African-American society and the path towards self-realization as an African-American woman. The paper asserts that despite the tedious path towards self-realization, Janie's marriage experiences of being subjugated by three men led to her eventual emancipation, wherein she was able to accept her being an individual and a woman.

From the Paper:

"The African-American heritage in the American society has experienced a long history of bondage to the slavery system, which created the divide between the white and black Americans in the country. Among those who first experienced this bitter history of bondage to slavery was the writer Zora Neale Hurston, who was known for her writings depicting not only African-American slavery, but most specifically, the plight of African-American women during this time of strife."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fisher, J. (2003). Women in Literature: Reading through the lens of gender. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing.
• Hubbard, D. (1994). The sermon and the African American literary imagination. MO: University of Missouri Press.
• Hurston, Z. N. (1990). Their Eyes Were Watching God. NY: Perennial Classics.
• Nelson, E. (2000). African-American Authors, 1745-1945: Bio-bibliographical critical sourcebook. Connecticut: Praeger.

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• Analytical Essay # 141754 : "Russia's Emancipation of the Serfs, 1861"
• Analytical Essay # 145888 : "Janie's Life and Mother Nature"

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