Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston begins with a sharp contrast between men and women. Hurston explains how men's dreams are like ships that "sail forever on the horizon (p.1)," which they watch from the shore but are unobtainable. On the other hand woman know what they want and know their dreams and pursue them. The main character of this book, Janie, shows these characteristics of a woman. Janie is a strong willed tough woman who knows what she wants, which also includes knowing what she does not want. The opening vignette of the novel is set in the present time and foreshadows what will happen in the book through characterization and themes.

Hurston utilizes an attention-grabbing quote on the first page of the novel, "This was a woman and she had come back from burying the dead...