Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston Essay

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"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon." -Konrad Adenauer. Their Eyes Were Watching God is set in West Florida during the early 20th century in an all African-American town. Racism and sexism are very prominent throughout the novel and Janie's journey to overcome both and find true love is displayed elegantly. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston invokes the symbol of horizon to illustrate many different concepts throughout the novel such as the future, the realm of possibility, and fate.
Horizon is used to symbolize the future through Nanny, Janie’s grandmother. Nanny’s history as a slave altered her outlook on life. She has a greater appreciation for financial security and decorum, and. unlike Janie who strives to be independent and break stereotypes. Nanny views the horizon from a more pessimistic viewpoint and believes virtually all horizons are unattainable. For instance, this is shown when Janie reminisces, "Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon--for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you--and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her" (89). In this quote, Nanny says that no matter how hard you try and no matter how close you think you are; you will never reach your horizon. This quote also shows Nanny explaining to Janie how her …show more content…
The horizon is an essential concept that every person uses in his or her everyday life. Whether it’s for something small or something great, everyone has a horizon. The story begins and ends with horizon, and it is seen in every part of Janie’s life as she seeks more and is always curious as to what the future holds for her. Like Edgar Magnin said, “You are the only one who can stretch your

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