I picked up There Eyes Were Watching God with a little prejudice. I’m not talking racial prejudice, but prejudice against the kind of story I thought this book was going to contain. First, it was about a black woman, Janie, who was born into a difficult time and situation. Clearly I would have to suffer the horrible things that would happen to Janie throughout her life as I read. Second, it was a literary love story. This meant that the “love” would be full of darkness like in Wuthering Heights. I was wrong about both of these possibilities as well as several other possibilities as the story went on. I was delighted by how wrong I was. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston gave me the perfect gift—a gift that you need but didn’t know that you wanted. What a beautifully written story.
It seemed like I had the right to expect the worst when I see a beautiful, unprotected, black girl thrown out into a world that has no mercy on such girls. I’ve read other stories of such girls and the ugly things that they had to endure. They usually end with the girl persevering, finding her strength, and standing tall at the end. These stories are fine, but I wasn’t in the mood to read another. In chapter two during the beautifully written scene where Janie is becoming aware of her sexuality, I almost quit reading the book. “Here is where it begins,” I thought.
Tentatively I kept reading. I’m glad I did. Hurston’s creativity took the road less traveled and the ugliness never materialized. What did materialize was far more satisfying than ugliness. For years, happiness eluded Janie, but during this unhappiness for her, the life around her breathed and danced and told stories within stories. I had never heard these voices before or lived the lives I experienced. It was delightful reading.
When Janie, now forty years old, finally understands the source of her unhappiness, Tea Cake enters the picture. My next literary prejudice entered the picture, too. This romance would go bad in one of so many typical ways and I would be left searching for meaning in a story of one human beings inability to commit fully to another, or something like that. Once again Hurston took a road less traveled. Observing Janie and Teacakes relationship brought the same pleasure as watching puppies play. These were adults and capable of all the bad behaviors adults are famous for, yet Hurston has them navigate these bad behaviors never running aground on one. Hurston did this with truthfulness and sincerity, never breaking a sweat at trying to keep Janie and Teacake away from the usual adult situations. It was as if adults could really live that way they did—and they do. Yet, Janie’s and Teacake’s relationship is unique enough to keep me reading and wondering.
The ending where the line “their eyes were watching God” is exciting and poignant. Of course something dramatic has to happen to complete a book like this. At one point I thought it was going to be an Othello like tragedy manufactured by an evil character. At another point I thought it was going to be a race related tragedy. I was wrong both times. The tragedy comes unexpected, but it is a gentle kind of tragedy full of irony and love. Reading Their Eyes Were Watching God was an unexpected treat. Hurston avoided my expectations at every turn and did it with a natural grace that I don’t often see in authors. She captures personalities through dialogue in an enchanting way that I haven’t experienced in a long time. Her story is both sweet and powerful and, most importantly, it has the power of truth in it.