SOURCE: “An Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Vol. 121. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group, 2002.

In the following original essay, Whitt examines Hurston's work on a number of levels, assessing the plot, characters, themes, evolution of the work, the novel's historical significance, and how the work has been studied since its publication. The parenthetical page numbers that appear throughout this essay refer to the edition of Their Eyes Were Watching God published by J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia) in 1937.

The Characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God

Janie Crawford Killicks Starks Woods is the protagonist of the novel. In most critical commentaries she is referred to as Janie Crawford, her birth name. Janie was born after her mother was raped by her white schoolteacher; Janie is raised by her maternal grandmother. Janie moves through three husbands, learning significant lessons with each one, but not finding love...