Upon beginning this novel the southern twang of the characters stood out to me tremendously. The dialect of the characters was a distinct—and great—style choice by Hurston. If any reader missed the fact that this story takes place in the deep south (Eatonville, Florida to be specific) the reader was quickly reminded by the dialogue. For example, one of the ladies gossiping about Janie said, “Humph! Y’all let her worry yuh. You ain’t like me.” (Hurston 3) The lady’s distinct words demonstrate that the population that surround Janie upon her return probably don't have a great deal of education (they do not enunciate their word the way a scholar would) and they have very brassy, carping mannerisms. I believe this foreshadows the shame Janie will feel because she has returned without Tea Cake.
Another distinct quality of the initial setting of the book is that most of the people neighborhood go to church. Yet, many of these church goers still insist on heckling Janie and her past. These ladies actually remind me of Nora from the short story, “First Confession” because “most of ‘em goes to church” yet they still “wastes up too much time puttin’ they mouth on things they don’t know nothin’ about.” (Hurston 6) In other words, like Nora, they play the part, but they aren’t truly holy. This shows what the ladies are expected to do (because of their church-going culture) but it also further shows that Janie will have a hard time assimilating back in the neighborhood.
Both the dialect and the motives within the dialogue give great insight to the culture in Eatonville. I believe recognizing and comprehending this dialogue to the fullest will help the reader grasp the full, true meaning of the text.
I can easily understand why you say the dialect will remind the reader that they are reading a book about the Deep South. The dialect contains very strong Ebonics. The fact that the women attend church but continue to heckle Janie is so ironic. Connecting this novel to "First Confession" is a great way of thinking because Nora definitely was not very holy in the story, and the women in this novel are not very true to how they want to appear. I agree that understanding the context and dialect of this novel is very significant because the story's core depends on the dialogue of the characters.
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