Symbolism is defined as the use of symbols to represent an idea, quality or meaning of a person or object within a story. In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston takes the reader on the journey of a young girl named Janie who is in search of the perfect relationship and her own independence. Hurston accomplishes this through the creative use of symbols.
One very important symbol introduced at the beginning of the novel is the Pear Tree. The pear tree is introduced for the first time when Janie is a young girl of sixteen years. While daydreaming under the pear tree she observes the union between a bee and a pear blossom, “She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into their sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to the tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was marriage” (Hurston 11). This is when Janie creates her idea of a perfect relationship. The next time we see Janie under the pear tree is when she decides to leave her first husband Logan and run away with Jody Starks. The pear tree represents to Janie the idea of love and happiness and of the perfect union between a man and a woman. At the end of the novel Janie believes she has found the perfect life with Tea Cake.
Another important symbol used throughout the novel is Janie’s hair. Because Janie is part Caucasian, to the women of Eatonville her hair represents a kind of superiority which sets her apart from them. A status they can only dream about. Conversely, to Jody Starks Janie’s hair represents her sexuality and her attractiveness to other men. Because of his jealousy and insecurity, Jody forces her to tie her hair up under a scarf and thereby keeping Janie under his control. Janie feels demoralized by this but nonetheless conforms to Jody’s demands. After Jody’s death, Janie removes the scarf as well as the binds that held her a prisoner to Jody Starks. She never covers her hair throughout the rest of the novel which can be viewed as a sign of Janie’s newfound strength and independence.
The mule represents the struggle of black people, especially black women, to be treated with respect and equality. Women in this time period were expected to work like mules at the demand of their husbands, “So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolk. De nigger woman is de mule of de world as fur as Ah can see” (Hurston 14). Janie’s first husband Logan owned a mule to work his land. He expected the same from Janie and in essence also treated her like a mule. The mule in the novel is portrayed as very stubborn, not unlike Janie, and is neglected and abused by its owner and the other townspeople. Janie is bothered by this and attempts to defend the mule. This is somewhat ironic given that she really never outwardly defends herself to Jody. Jody eventually purchases the mule and allows it to live out its life in freedom. His reason for doing this was not out of compassion for the mule but rather to reaffirm his control and power, not unlike the control and power he exerted over Janie.
Tea Cake represents the ideal man to Janie. She believes he will create for her a perfect union, like the bee to the pear blossom, “He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom - a pear tree blossom in the spring….He was a glance from God”(Hurston 101). Tea cake is much more unconventional than Janie’s first two husbands. Her attraction to him is in part because he allows her to experience a level of independence and freedom she was never allowed to experience before with her first two husbands as well as her grandmother. Sadly, this perfect union is cut short when Tea Cake gets bit by a rabid dog in an attempt to save her life. In the end of Janie acknowledges her undying love for Tea Cake.
The Hurricane introduced at the end of the novel represent’s God’s power. It also represents the destructive forces of nature. Men have historically attempted to control other men, but men cannot control nature. Hurston uses the hurricane to connect readers to the title of the novel, “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God” (Hurston 151). Here Janie and Tea Cake were searching for answers from God of how to survive the devastating hurricane. They realized their fate was in God’s hand and that they were powerless to nature’s wrath. Their efforts to move on after the hurricane reflect their determination and resiliency. Unfortunately, the hurricane creates a set of circumstances which ultimately lead to the demise of Tea Cake and the perfect life he and Janie shared.
It was interesting and enlightening to experience Ms. Hurston’s use of symbolism. These symbols helped define her characters and build upon the overall theme of the novel.
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