About their eyes were watching god

Establishing a Foundation for Fiction: The Role of Landscapes in Literature

One of the most critical facets of literature is establishing a foundation for fiction. It portrays and assists in the creation of your book’s overarching theme. Characters live in a vacuum without regard for their own lives in the absence of it. The scenery contributes to the story by determining and describing characters, as well as providing metaphoric connections to the themes. The condition is portrayed in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching Heaven, for example. The author utilizes a range of landscapes to help create the character, Janie, resulting in a variety of moods in the plot. The essence of the scene in the story with relation to the role is to help create her overall self-identity which assists her in later developments in the story. In our discussion, we would analyze three examples of landscapes used, their intended meaning and purpose with relation to the building of the overall theme.

The Muck or Everglades: A Journey of Self-Discovery

To begin with, the story Their Eyes Were Watching God; the author incorporates the use landscapes which she relates to physical places that help improve the writing experience by enhancing clarity on various subjects. An example is the Muck or Everglades. The author exemplifies the beauty of the Everglades when she states that Janie and Tea Cake were overwhelmed by the landscapes that were different from what they had ever seen before in their life (Bloom). There in the Muck, Janie is taught hunting skills by Tea Cake till she becomes precise in the art. Regarding that, the Muck was used by the author to bring about a hidden meaning about Janie’s quest to find her self-identity. The lush and new landscape of the Muck depicts the new and sexually vibrant relation between Janie and Tea Cake. What is more, it assists Janie in becoming independent and unrestricted from the traditional feminine tasks (Kubitschek). Moreover, it represented the richness of Janie’s spirit and soul that was brought about by her partner.

The Blossoming Pear Tree: Symbolism of Innocence, Rebirth, and Sexuality

The other landscape used by the author is the blossoming pear tree. The author uses the following phrase to tie it to a particular subject regarding Janie’s identity quest. “[she longed] to be a pear tree - any tree in bloom. With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she…[was] waiting for the world to be made (Bloom).” The tree represents a combination of both male and female symbols. The male symbol gets demonstrated by the description of how the tree was slender and steeply long. On the other hand, the female character gets represented by the blossoming of the tree. Inclusively, the tree is a symbol of not only innocence and rebirth but also Janie’s sexuality (Kubitschek). Also, Janie wanted to find happiness and comfort in marriage.

The Power of the Wind: Representing Love, Femininity, and Soul

The earth’s element such as the wind is another landscape that is used to set the mood of the story and represent certain emotions. ”The elements of the sun and fire cleanse and renew her.” The Wind is heard ‘picking at the pine trees (Bloom).’ The pine tree which often gets associated with young black men is frequently noticed ‘picking guitars (Bloom).’ Based on that description, the wind is used to symbolize love, femininity, and soul. Janie expresses the philosophy of femininity not as weak creatures in constant need of care but stable and equally capable as their male counterparts (Kubitschek).

In conclusion, landscapes are an integral component in literary techniques. The author integrates numerous instances of the use of landscape that is crucial in enabling transitions between scenes and also setting diverse moods for internalization and comprehension of the message.

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Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Infobase Publishing, 2008.

Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. ” Tuh De Horizon and Back“: The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Black American Literature Forum. School of Education, Indiana State University, 1983.