As you know, symbolism occurs when a person, place, or thing (such as hair) represents itself and something beyond itself. Hair, strangely enough, is a symbol in Hurston's novel. Other symbols that Hurston uses are the weather/hurricane and the pear tree. If you are reading Maya Angelou, what are some symbols (caged bird, perhaps?) that you've noticed? The cool thing about symbolism is that you have to figure it out. Calling all literary sleuths: How (in the world) is hair a symbol in Hurston's novel? What about the pear tree and/or hurricane? What does the title of each novel refer to? How does this passage relate to a possible theme of the novel? Hmmmm...
Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, characters notice that Janie's hair is the most notable trait of her outward appearance. She has long, thick hair that sets her apart from other black women because of its straightness. When she was young, Janie's grandmother brushed and styled her hair. During her second marraige, Janie's husband forces her to tie her hair up, which she does not enjoy. She finally gets to wear her hair down when she is married to Tea Cake, and that is when she is happiest. Janie's hair is a symbol of her person freedom and independence. Janie is the least happy when she is restricted by people such as her grandmother and Jody Starks. She is not permitted to act like an individual, but instead must obey others. When her hair is free, Janie acts more confident and is less apt to please others and let herself suffer.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's hair plays a huge role in defining her character. Older women in the small town of Eatonville are expected to wear their hair up, but Janie defies that by wearing her straight, black hair down. She is praised by Mrs. Turner because the texture of her hair is more that of a white woman's. The hurricane represents the struggle for racial equality and shows the destruction it caused. It also heps to reinforce her strength and strong will. The pear tree represents Janie's quest for peace and love as she goes through her journey. She wishes to feel like she did when she had the moment under the tree with Johnny Taylor. At the end of the novel, Janie refers to the pear tree when she realizes that she is finally at peace.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTheir Eyes Were Watching God
ReplyDeleteHair represents freedom and self-expression. At least, to me it does. So when Janie has to wear her hair up, she is not free or expressive. But when she wears her hair down, she has some freedom and can be expressive.
The pear tree represents a time in Janie’s life where she was happy and carefree. The pear tree shows up twice in the novel: in Janie’s childhood and at the end. During Janie’s childhood, she didn’t have much, if anything, to worry about. The pear tree is mentioned again at the end, when Janie’s hardships are over. But in between that time, there is no mention of the pear tree.
So if we look at this literally, when Janie becomes an adult, she is not happy, not carefree, not free, and not expressive. But in her later years as an adult, she is all of these things.
In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", there are more symbols than just the most prominent one, hair. In the beginning of the novel Janie watches as a bee mingles beautifully with the pear tree. It showed her the gentler and energized side of nature. The pear tree and the bees represents a perfect moment in nature that leaves Janie searching throughout the rest of the book for the blissful feeling once more. This leads Janie to search for the perfect marriage and defy what is traditionally done by her elders, such as wearing her hair down. By wearing her hair down, which is straight and the texture similar to that of one who is born from white descent, she is defying what others think. It shows her strength and power while she breaks away from being tied down like her hair was when her second husband made her wear her hair pulled back.
ReplyDeleteAs for the hurricane, it showed the complete and utter opposite side of nature. It showed destruction and chaos. Hurston portrayed both sides of nature beautifully, giving each side the ideal amount of exaggeration to get her point across. When looked at separately these forces may be seen not at all connected, but together they create an allusive and captivating world. One filled with mysteries and allure that pulls Janie in.
This blog post is relating to "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
ReplyDeleteThe caged bird relates to Maya's confinement in racism, sexism, her insecurities, poverty, and abuse. Now think about this, when any animal is caged, it throws itself against the bars of the cage until the pain is so great that it quits fighting for a while. But once this animal recovers from its wounds it tries again and again. This shows Maya's persistence. But once the bird has enough it sings wishing to be free. Maya is basically calling herself a young caged bird. Whatever forces push Maya, she pushes back. Like a caged bird uses singing to escape from it all, Maya uses literature to soothe herself. The title of Maya's book is just simple describing her struggling to make it through her obstacles in life, an autobiography. This title points to the previous stated themes throughout the novel such as racism, sexism, insecurity, abuse, and poverty.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's hair was long and straight, much like a white woman. During her marriage to Joe Starks, he forced her to wear it up, showing he had control over her. He didn't want anyone to see Janie's hair but him, showing his jealousy. After Joe died, she burned her head-rags symbolizing she was finally free from his control. Another symbol in the novel was the pear tree. In the beginning of the novel Janie witnessed a bee's interaction with a pear tree, and is in awe at the beauty of nature. After that experience, she wanted something beautiful like that in a relationship, so she struggles through three marriages to find it. The third main symbol in the book was the hurricane. The hurricane represented the ugly, destructive side of nature instead of the harmony in nature. Not only do they question the hurricane's existence, they question God for the first time in the novel. I believe the title of the novel refers to racial independence. Instead of the African Americans following whites like history has shown, they follow God which both races can do equally.
ReplyDeleteIn I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the obvious symbolism would be the title. This title foreshadows what the rest of the book beholds. The caged bird refers to how Maya feels confined from the rest of the world because of her skin color, gender, and financial status. In her town, she was constantly discriminated against, and was, as most African Americans were during her time, looked down upon simply because of the color of her skin. The color of her skin left her looking to society as weaker, poorer, dumber, and over all, less than the rest of society. In the book, it was a big deal when Joe Louis won because it showed the strength of an African American to other Americans and was a sign that African Americans weren't always the underhand. I would like to offer an alternative view to Allison's post above because I think the bird is singing because of her triumphs and successes. Maya had overcome all the discrimination in the south, was incredibly smart in school and was also the first African American to work on the San Francisco street cars. She was very successful in life and created a great legacy.
ReplyDeleteThis post refers to ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'.
ReplyDeleteJanie's hair throughout the novel for me symbolizes more of how she was affected by everything that happened throughout her life. How she was treated throughout her marriages by the different men and so on. With Janie's second marriage, her husband Joe Starks make her wear a head-rag when Janie is in public because her hair represents the hair of a while woman which comes off very beautiful and very attractive to other men. He does this because he wants her all to himself, thus showing how she pretty much is treated as property to him and nothing more. She is unhappy throughout this marriage and it is until Joe dies where she is able to take back power of herself by burning the head-rags she had owned. After doing so, this is when she is the happiest, now being married to Tea Cake where she wears her hair down, as she likes, showing she is finally who she wants to be with the freedom and independence and respect she should be given that in her previous marriages she never experienced.
In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Janie’s hair, the pear tree, and the hurricane are key symbols that represent a bigger picture in the novel. Janie’s hair serves as her independence, self worth, and freedom. Her hair is her identity and without it she’s not her true self. During her first two marriages, she was forced to put it up or braided back. This symbolizes the loss of her identity and the restrictions of her freedom as a woman. The pear tree represents the purity of life and nature. Janie sees the pear tree as happiness, something that is full strenght and life. It also symbolizes the good things in life. She wishes to one day be happy and loved. Finally the hurricane towards the end of the novel is the opposite of what the pear tree represents. The hurricane represents the destructive aspects of life. It shows the conflicts, struggle, and hardships that life has to offer as well as the consequences of the aftermath. The whole novel symbolizes true self discovery and the journey to that.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie's hair, symbolized her freedom, while the pear tree and the hurricane showed the good and bad in life and nature. Janie's hair symbolized her freedom and independence and while worn in a braid symbolized a form of masculinity which threatened Joe, which is why he always made her wear her hair in the rags, which acted as a means of keeping her oppressed. The pear tree symbolized beauty and pleasure, and the good in nature and life. The tree also acted as typical gender roles, but the way Hurston worded the female gender role made the idea seem different, “The thousand sister calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree. . . .” it made it seem like even though the tree (the female) waited for the bee (the male) when the two came together the feelings were mutual which gave Janie the ideas of love and fulfillment. The hurricane was the exact opposite of the pear tree, the hurricane represented all of the awful and cruel things in life and the destructive nature of the world. It represented how chaotic the world could become and it made Janie and other characters wonder how they could live in a world with so much chaos and pain.
ReplyDeleteThe title "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is symbolic of Maya's feelings while growing up. She feels trapped, like a caged bird, in the small southern town of Stamps. Racism, sexism, and Maya's own uncertainties about herself act as the bars to the cage of her life. She sees how African Americans are treated poorly in her town and how hard life is on them. She sees how hard her grandmother has to work as a female to run the store, raise her and Bailey, and take care of Uncle Willie. She struggles to deal with her own problems such as wanting to be prettier and being assaulted. All of these things are weighing her down and taking away her hope to be able to live a good life. As the novel goes on, she finds this hope in people and opportunities. She is able to work on the San Francisco street cars and begins to write and inspire people. Although she felt caged during her childhood, she was able to find hope which I think is the reason the caged bird sings. The bird and Maya are able to see the promise of the future which is a theme prominent in the book.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie’s hair is a symbol of her power and unconventional identity; it represents her strength and individuality in three ways. First, it represents her independence and defiance of petty community standards. The town’s critique at the very beginning of the novel demonstrates that it is considered undignified for a woman of Janie’s age to wear her hair down. Her refusal to bow down to their norms clearly reflects her strong, rebellious spirit. Second, her hair functions as a phallic symbol; her braid is constantly described in phallic terms and functions as a symbol of a typically masculine power and potency, which blurs gender lines and thus threatens Jody. Third, her hair, because of its straightness, functions as a symbol of whiteness; Mrs. Turner worships Janie because of her straight hair and other Caucasian characteristics. Her hair contributes to the normally white male power that she wields, which helps her disrupt traditional power relationships (male over female, white over black) throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" the biggest symbol is the title. The "caged bird" refers to the people as a whole, not just Maya. The people of stamps all seem to be caged in their own ways, most by poverty and racism. But they all still have hopes and dreams. The Negro national anthem is the "singing". The spirit and hope of the town causes them to sing the anthem even though they know most of their struggles are unlikely to end anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," I believe Henry Reed resembles a male version of Marguerite. They were raised the same way; by their own strict, religious grandmothers. They both had a hard-featured look to them and were both at the top of their class-ranking in grades and attendance. The only difference was that Henry was more social and he was the Valedictorian. Henry and Maya were both strongly against racism. When Henry ruined his graduation speech about racism, he started sighting the African American version of the Pledge Allegiance; I think Maya could really relate to him at this point. Maya and Henry were among the three African Americans in her graduating class, and by re-sighting that pledge, was a rebellious move in front of the white people.
ReplyDeleteThe Store in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” resembles the strength of Maya’s grandmother (Momma). The autobiography takes place during The Great Depression in the South. Being an African American woman at that time, it was nearly impossible to own and operate a store while raising two young children (Bailey and Maya). Growing up Maya made the Capital S resemble her grandmother's strength and power. Momma’s grocery and convenience store defines her as a powerful figure in her community and in her family’s hearts.
ReplyDeleteIn “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya’s plain, white Easter dress is symbolic of her growing up and wanting to explore the transformations of maturing. When she saw her dress she imagined herself being a white movie star and she couldn’t wait for everyone to see how beautiful she was. After she put it on, she realized that she was never going to be beautiful and white. Later in the novel, she realized in order for the plain, white dress to be beautiful on her, she would need to make steps toward accepting who she really was and feel confident, while being herself.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's hair is an obvious symbol of her freedom. Her hair sets Janie apart from other women because of its length and thickness. When Janie married Joe Starks, she was forced to tie her hair up because it attracted other men. This matches up with the fact that Janie's freedom also disappeared during her time with Joe Starks. She had to work at the store for most of the day, and when Starks and his friends would be joking around, Janie was not allowed to join in. After Starks death, Janie met Tea Cake, with whom she is allowed to wear her hair down with. Also, with Tea Cake, Janie had more freedom. She also loved Tea Cake more since he showed her respect and love along with giving her a sense of freedom. With her hair down, Janie is able to express herself without being tied down by others.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteThe symbolism in this novel is the title. Maya can relate to a caged bird because she is discriminated against for things she can't help. The way she is mistreated because of her race, gender, and lack of money, along with her insecurities about herself make her feel trapped- like a caged bird. Despite all the odds, however, the caged bird does still sing. This is in the book when Joe Louis wins and proves that African Americans are no different. He gives other colored people confidence and makes them proud of who they are. Another time the "caged bird sings" in the book is when Maya stands up for herself, chases her dreams, and accomplishes her goals. She becomes very successful in life even though everyone put her down and made her think she couldn't do what she wanted.
In "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie's hair represents her freedom. She used to wear her hair down before she was with Joe Starks. Joe made her wear her hair up so she would not attract the attention of others. This is because Joe noticed that other men were interested in Janie and her hair. Janie could not join in on some conversations and was forced to manage the store while with Joe. She was somewhat secluded during this time. When she is with Tea Cake she wears her hair down and has a lot more freedom. The hurricane represents how cruel, unfair, and destructive nature can be. The pear tree represents how relaxing and easy life can be.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" the 'caged bird' is the obvious symbol. It represents everyone in Stamps and the oppression that comes with their race, economic status, and gender. They are all trapped in this cage that will never open because of their so called flaws trapping them in there. It is also Maya being trapped in her awful experiences and refusing to talk, but once she begins to talk she realizes that what she says can influence people and make her feel better about herself as a person. In any of the church scenes everyone always feels so relieved and renewed after they get done from singing and done with the sermon promising them that no matter what hardships they have to face with their race, class, or gender as long as they continue going on and believing the word of the gospel no cage can keep them from heaven.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post relates to the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.
ReplyDeleteJanie’s hair is a symbol for her freedom and independence. The hurricane represents destruction and how life can be un-fair, cruel, and unjust. While the pear tree shows the calming and peaceful side to life. During Janie’s second marriage Joe Stark, makes Janie wear a head-rag when she is out because when her hair is down it makes her appear attractive for other men in the town. Joe treats her as an object and his own personal property and does not want others to see her as being attractive. Janie realizes how all she is to Joe is an object so she decides to leave him and begins to love Tea Cake. While Janie is married to Tea Cake her hair is down and flows because it shows, she is free with him and not a personal object with no feelings.
The caged bird is the main symbol in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" throughout the whole novel. It may not be a literal idea in this book, but almost everything Maya goes through in her early life, along with the other people in it, relates to it. When thinking of a caged bird, what comes to mind is a living thing stuck in its own dwelling. No matter what the bird does, it is confined to the ways of life it is wrongfully given. This relates to the racism the people of Stamps went through. They were not expected to be useful or achieve great things in life by the white people's opinion. They are trapped by the views of themselves from another person's perspective and are cut short of the opportunity to live their life the way they want to live it, or in the bird's meaning, "fly".
ReplyDeleteOne symbol that specifically stood out in this book was Maya’s white Easter dress. She adores this dress because she sees herself as someone who looks beautiful. The dress represents her low self-esteem. She wants to be accepted by everyone but it is not possible in their society. Maya believes that beauty often means to be white. Meaning that she thinks she isn’t beautiful because she does not fit in with the white people surrounding her. In the dress she has her heart set on everyone being able observe her true beautiful self in her dress. But soon after believing and hoping this, she realizes that the dress is not going to transform her due to the fact that it is only fabric that her Momma got from a white women’s thrown away dress. By realizing this she also comes to see that to grow and mature she has to accept herself as she is.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie's hair symbolizes everything she has been through to be the woman that she is, how her experiences have affected her life in general, and how she was treated throughout her marriages by the different men and so on. In Janie's second marriage, her husband Joe Starks made her wear a head rag when she was in public because her hair resembles that of a white woman which in that time was very beautiful and very attractive to other men. He does this because he wants her all to himself, as if she was an object for him to own and show off to other men. She is unhappy throughout this marriage and it is until Joe dies where she is able to burn the head rags and become her own person once again. After doing so, this is when she is the happiest, being the free and independent woman that she is while being married to Tea Cake.
ReplyDeleteThis post refers to "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
ReplyDeleteJanie's hair and the pear tree are both symbolic to bigger ideas in the novel. Throughout her first two marriages, Janie was forced to wear her hair pinned up. In those two marriages, Janie didn't have any freedom. Her hair being pinned up represents how she couldn't be free to do what she wanted and how there was always something holding her back. An example of this was when she was married to Joe Stark. Joe wouldn't let her make a speech when he became mayor of Eatonville because he thought that women shouldn't make speeches. Janie also has to live up to high expectation due to her status as the mayor's wife, so when Joe would anger he she would remain silent and let him do it. Janie finally gets to wear her hair down after she marries Tea Cake when Joe dies. When she wears it down, it represents hew independence and freedom that she now receives. The pear tree in this novel represents Janie's happiness of when she was young and how she becomes happy again when she is with Tea Cake. Janie found happiness under the pear tree when she was with a young boy, but that got taken away as soon as it came. Throughout the novel, Janie searched for that happiness and finally found it once again.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
ReplyDeleteJanies hair in this novel symbolizes her freedom and her individualism. It is against the normal town standards for women to wear their hair down in the town that Janie lives in. When Joe Starks took away Janies right to wear her hair down, he took away her freedom. Joe does not want Janie having her own thoughts and ideas. The hurricane in the novel represents the continuous fight of racism within society. It symbolizes everything bad in the world and forces people to think about what type of society they are really living in. The pear tree on the other hand symbolizes peace and happiness for Janie. The tree reminds her of simpler times and she thinks of it when she is at ease with her life.
In " I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing," there is a lot of different symbols found throughout the book such as: Momma's store, Maya's Easter dress, and the caged bird. Momma's store symbolizes the benefits of hard work and the importance of being a strong memeber in your community.You can see Maya develop her characteristics in the beggining in this store. the store helps to push her later in the novel to do the things she does after she leaves Arkansas. Another good example is Maya's Easter dress which symbolizes her lack of affection for her outer beauty and her hopes that eventually she could conform to white society. Maya's hopes greatly exemplify one of the main themes which is racism and segregation because Maya is psychologically beaten because her dress is just scraps of other white womens dresses. Maya had gotten the short end of the stick while the whites got everything they have ever wanted. Another good symbol is the caged bird which represents all of lifes thoughts,actions, and reactions that hold people back from what they believe and what they try to acheive. The cage symbolizes all of lifes set backs and bumps in the road and the bird represents the person trying to get over the bumps. Maya is that bird trying to get over the bumps of racism and segregation. As we can see all of these symbols lead towards the main theme of racism and segregation and how it is bad for not just one ethnic group, but for all of them.
ReplyDeleteIn I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the title is the most significant example of symbolism throughout the book. Maya is like a caged bird. Throughout her entire childhood, Maya feels displaced from society due to reasons that she cannot control. When Maya is younger, she dreams of being a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, pretty, white girl. However, she is not what she dreams of; she is an unattractive, big, black girl. Because of what she is (and not who she is), Maya has to endure unfair things like racism and sexism her entire life. The most significant tragedy Maya went through was being sexually assaulted by Mr. Freeman. Not only did Maya feel used and worthless following the rape, she also had to experience guilt by believing that she was the cause of Mr. Freeman’s death. Just like a bird being imprisoned in a cage, Maya is a prisoner of her own life that she can not escape. Despite all the hardships, Maya’s spirit is not squashed. There is still beauty inside her that she gives back to the rest of the world despite her own grim circumstances. After all the bad things that Maya had to experience throughout her life, she still managed to become the best person she could be and was able to accomplish remarkable things, like becoming the first African American streetcar conductor. The caged bird sings because the spirit endures and can even find happiness in the worst circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie's hair really defines her character as an independent woman. The woman in the novel are supposed to wear their hair up but Janie's long black hair was always straight and worn down. Its straightness sets her apart from other black women in town. In her second marriage with Joe Starks she is forced to wear her hair up which she finds uncomfortable and does not like. She finds love with Tea Cake because he let's her be who she is. Her straight hair symbolizes her freedom and independence. Janie feels most confident in herself when her hair is worn down.
ReplyDelete"Why The Caged Bird Sings"
ReplyDeleteThe title is a major symbol that is portrayed throughout the story. The caged bird represents Maya trying so hard to escape her caged life. She felt so trapped and like a bird she kept trying until she was hurt, but her persistence allowed her to continue when healed. Another symbol I believe was shown in the story was the Store. The Store was the heart of the black community and in Maya's life it was important to have a community, which the Store represented. It was almost like it gave her some order in her trapped life.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
ReplyDeleteJanie's hair is a symbol relating to her freedom. It is long, dark, and absolutely stunning. When she is married to Joe, he makes her pin it up under a kerchief after he notices the other men in town admiring it. When Janie's hair is pinned up, she has no freedom. Joe makes all her decisions for her, and she isn't even allowed to voice her opinion in the town conversations, because Joe doesn't think that its ladylike. When Joe dies, the first thing that Janie does is take off her kerchief, to symbolize her new freedom from him. When Janie is married to Tea Cake, she wears her hair however she pleases, sometimes sporting a different style every day. The appearance of her hair on the outside represents how she feels about herself on the inside. She feels as free as a bird, just floating along wherever the wind blows. As for the books title, it refers to the part of the novel during the beginning of the hurricane, and all the power in the house went out. "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." (pg.160)
In the novel "I know why the Caged bird sings" I believe that the store is very symbolic. The store is symbolic because it is the center of Mayas life for so long. It is also symbolic because for most of her life she witnesses many people working their fingers to the bone to make ends meat. The store also symbolizes the result of hard work and devotion, and loyalty to the community.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's hair seems to have a direct correlation to her happiness. While in her second marriage, Janie must wear rags to cover up her envious hair. Like her freedom, her hair is restricted. She is very unhappy. Janie's first action after Joe's death is the burning of all her hair rags. When she meets Tea Cake and starts a new life with him, she wears her hair free and in anyway she wants. At that point she is the happiest she has ever been. Trees play a big part in the book. One example would be that It was not until Janie sees the Pear Tree in Nanney's yard that she understands that she really wants true unconditional love more than anything.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie's hair symbolizes multiple things. Her hair symbolizes both her individuality and her freedom. Janie's hair is much different than all other women's in a beautiful way, also Janie's thought and feelings are much different from anyone else in a beautiful way which makes her the individual she is. Janie's hair also symbolizes her freedom in the way that when she was young and wasn't married and when she was married to Logan she let it down and let it loose because she was free, but when she got married to Joe he made her put her hair up and cover it because he saw other men admiring her hair. This showed she was not free, in fact Joe wouldn't even let Janie speak her mind with the people in town, Janie had almost no freedom during this time. After Joe died she let her hair down to show she was free again and while with Tea Cake Janie did whatever she wanted with her hair because while with Tea Cake she was as free as ever. The title of the book refers to when they were in hurricane and it was gradually getting worse and it put the lights out for the last time. In The complete darkness they could see nothing, "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." (pg.160) These are just a few examples of the many cases of symbolism in the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God".
ReplyDeleteIn Maya Angelou's book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", symbolism is very prevalently used literary element. Growing up with Momma and the Store, she watches poor yet hardworking black people just barely scraping by. The Store was one of the things that helped them make it through rough times. It was a gathering place, and the heart of the community, which is what it is representing. Another symbol used was Mayas Easter dress. Growing up with southern racism, she is brainwashed as a young girl into believing the being beautiful meant being white. She thinks that once she puts on the Easter dress she will transform into the beautiful, blonde, white girl she wishes she was. But once she realizes that it is simply unattainable she begins to accept and eventually have pride in the color of her sin.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God" hair is used as symbolism for Janie's freedom I believe. Logan Killicks never allowed her to wear her hair down and Joe Starks hated those that looked at Janie's hair when it was down as they saw it as beautiful. This in turn led to Joe Starks forcing Janie to wear her hair up. The pear tree in the novel symbolizes Janie's maturing from a child to an adult as the pear tree blossoms and Janie feels urges that she has never felt before; urges that she feels she must satisfy. These urges can be seen as love or the urge to find someone that makes her happy in life. The hurricane is a symbol of destruction as it inevitably leads to Janie's love of her life, Tea Cake, to acquire rabies due to the hurricane leading to his death. This hurricane not only leads to the literal destruction of the Everglades but to Janie's life as well. The title passage refers to when Motor, Tea Cake, and Janie are all in her house waiting out the storm and they are watching God to see what move he makes as he is seemingly in control of their lives. This passage could relate to the theme that our lives are controlled by others and sometimes there's just nothing but you can do but hope and wait.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," the caged bird of the title is a metaphor for Marguerite. She views herself as the bird, recognizing potential within herself (wings), but the cage is shutting her in. The cage symbolizes the oppression Marguerite has experienced at the hands of white people, the smallness of Stamps, and her abuse from Mr. Freeman. It could also symbolize the way she shut herself up after the abuse, keeping herself in a "cage." Another possible symbol is her baby son from the very end of the book. I think he symbolizes the climax of Marguerite's suffering. She keeps the pregnancy quiet almost all the way through it, just like she didn't tell people around her about her internal struggles, for fear of being in disgrace or being misunderstood, and even hurting the people she told. However, when she lets the truth go, she realizes that it's okay, and then can great things happen, like the birth of her son.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God" many symbols of Janie`s life appear though out the book. Her hair symbolized a youth and her beauty, it was known to be different from other black people hair because of its softness and length. Another symbol was the pear tree, she would sit under the tree to calm down and being comforted. When she is under the tree she imagines her later life being married to her love. So for her the tree symbolizes a source of imagination and success. Also the hurricane symbolized her lost love. It symbolizes that because of the terrible occurance which included the dog bit that killed her husband and love of her life.
ReplyDelete