In a musical composition, a motif assumes the role of a short rhythmic or melodic passage, which resounds in various parts to evoke or convey a specific feeling or message. Though they deviate in form, every motif strives to communicate an important element within a work. In the first chapter of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses motifs to reveal the novel's themes, frame and characterization.

Hurston introduces her story, using the horizon as a motif to contrast the presupposed destinies propelled by the male and female psyches. First providing insight into the masculine, Hurston states, "Ships at a distance have ever man's wish on board. For some they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time." (1). She then reverts to the feminine, stating, "Now, women...