In Their Eyes Were Watching God Hurston
uses a very specific choice of structure and diction. The novel begins at the
end of the story. Janie is already old at this point so it allows for the Janie’s
journey to be told as a flashback to Pheoby, who had been a “kissin’-friend for
twenty years” (Hurston 7). The outside opinions of the other women on the porch
in the beginning of the novel also play an important role. Their curiosity helps
to build emotions for the reader and add anticipation to the story of what
really happened to Janie. Pheoby tells Janie about the women and says that “an
envious heart makes a treacherous ear” (Hurston 5). This foreshadowing implies
that whatever happened to Janie was significant enough for the women to be
envious of her.
Diction is an
obvious element in Hurston’s novel. Using direct dialogue helps to set the
scene and also helps the reader better understand the characters. The dialogue
also helps to express that the story is an act of telling rather than writing. The
novel opens in a very intellectual and literary third-person point of view. The
narrator uses figurative language to clearly show the distinction between Janie
and the narrator. There is many times where Hurston chooses to have long
periods of uninterrupted dialogue such as when Pheoby brings supper to Janie.
The narrator takes a “break” so that the characters can really tell the story. It
is clear that Hurston chose to use poor English on purpose. The poor English that
the characters use shows a lack of control in their language which appears to
be a common theme.
Hurstson's stylistic choices are definitely very effective. I agree with you when you say the beginning of the novel sets a motive for the reader. It absolutely makes the story more intriguing and gives motivation to find out what happened to Janie. The narrator's "break" also creates great dimension to fhe novel. The characters' dialogue does indeed show a "lack of control in their language" since they were educated much differently back then.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response Hurston has very distinct stylistic choices. One idea we both noticed was the poor english aspect of the characters. This stylistic choice gives a sense of illiteracy which I find rather difficult to read at times. However the illiteracy enhances the characterization.
ReplyDeleteHurston's style is definitely one that we are normally not used to seeing. The language can be very difficult to understand but it serves a greater purpose. Not only does it show a lack of control in the language but a celebration of the true way everyone spoke. The novel would not be realistic if her characters spoke proper english. It also gives the reader a sense of the time period and how this southern society truly interacted with each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion that Huston's style id definitely different from other types of novels. The language does add to the story and make it seem more realistic since most African Americans did not speak proper english back in those days. It gives me a sense of relief that I personally did not have to experience a time where people spoke in broken english because it was not their first language or did not have the same opportunities of education as others.
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