Their Eyes Were Watching God
THERE EYES WERE WATCHING GOD (Zora Neale Hurston) - Two Stars
I'm not going to put a caveat in this review. I'm not going to say "maybe I just didn't get it because I'm a man." I'm not going to say "maybe I just didn't get it because I'm white." I think I got it just fine. I think every glowing review I've read about this novel is off-base. I think these people read more into the story than was there, reviewing what they WANTED to read or HOPED to read instead of what was actually there.
All of the dialogue in the novel is written in dialect, Hurston's analysis of how Southerners talk (more specifically, poor Southerners, even more specifically, poor black Southerners). "She sho don't talk much," "Dat's uh new idea 'bout varmints," etc. Some times it's pitch perfect, though it can be hard to read (this is one of those rare novels, I think, that would be even BETTER as an audio book). However, sometimes the dialogue falls on the other side of the line, and instead of being completely realistic is sounds kitschy and stereotypical, like the language you'd hear in a racist joke or from an insulting white jester in black-face.
Which is a shame, really, because Hurston handles "proper" literary English with great skill, and some of her sadly infrequent exposition is gorgeous prose:
The story itself is a disappointment. There's a decent love story, once Hurston finally gets around to it (literally halfway through the novel). But the plot is threadbare and the characters, as colorful as they are, severely lacking in depth. Tea Cake is by far the most interesting character in the book. Even the protagonist/heroine Janie Crawford is a disappointment, as she is defined in the novel not by her own actions and desires, but by the men she chooses to associate herself with. We learn almost nothing about Janie except what is shown to us in how she acts and reacts with each of her husbands. The Janie of the novel is barely her own person, she is an effect to the male causes in the book.
The novel has not aged well. In 1937 Janie may have been viewed as quite a rebel, but compared to the bold, independent, women of the 21st Century she is a bland milquetoast. Likewise, is there anyone reading this review who is unaware of the injustices black people faced in post-Civil War America, or of the horrors of domestic violence? Again, perhaps shocking in 1937, but nothing new or enlightening in 2009.
I'm also puzzled as to why this is hailed as one of the first feminist masterpieces. Contrary to the apparent popular opinion, the Janie at the end of the novel is not a strong, independent woman simply because she's lost the love of her life and doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks about her. Indeed, feminism is in pretty sorry shape if the best message it can provide is "you're going to go through a lot of crap in your life, and the best you can hope for is to endure."
I'm not going to put a caveat in this review. I'm not going to say "maybe I just didn't get it because I'm a man." I'm not going to say "maybe I just didn't get it because I'm white." I think I got it just fine. I think every glowing review I've read about this novel is off-base. I think these people read more into the story than was there, reviewing what they WANTED to read or HOPED to read instead of what was actually there.
All of the dialogue in the novel is written in dialect, Hurston's analysis of how Southerners talk (more specifically, poor Southerners, even more specifically, poor black Southerners). "She sho don't talk much," "Dat's uh new idea 'bout varmints," etc. Some times it's pitch perfect, though it can be hard to read (this is one of those rare novels, I think, that would be even BETTER as an audio book). However, sometimes the dialogue falls on the other side of the line, and instead of being completely realistic is sounds kitschy and stereotypical, like the language you'd hear in a racist joke or from an insulting white jester in black-face.
Which is a shame, really, because Hurston handles "proper" literary English with great skill, and some of her sadly infrequent exposition is gorgeous prose:
Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun. So Janie had another day. And every day had a store in it, except Sundays. The store itself was a pleasant place if only she didn't have to sell things. When the people sat around on the porch and passed around the pictures of their thoughts for the others to look at and see, it was nice. The fact that the thought pictures were always crayon enlargements of the life made it even nicer to listen to.
The story itself is a disappointment. There's a decent love story, once Hurston finally gets around to it (literally halfway through the novel). But the plot is threadbare and the characters, as colorful as they are, severely lacking in depth. Tea Cake is by far the most interesting character in the book. Even the protagonist/heroine Janie Crawford is a disappointment, as she is defined in the novel not by her own actions and desires, but by the men she chooses to associate herself with. We learn almost nothing about Janie except what is shown to us in how she acts and reacts with each of her husbands. The Janie of the novel is barely her own person, she is an effect to the male causes in the book.
The novel has not aged well. In 1937 Janie may have been viewed as quite a rebel, but compared to the bold, independent, women of the 21st Century she is a bland milquetoast. Likewise, is there anyone reading this review who is unaware of the injustices black people faced in post-Civil War America, or of the horrors of domestic violence? Again, perhaps shocking in 1937, but nothing new or enlightening in 2009.
I'm also puzzled as to why this is hailed as one of the first feminist masterpieces. Contrary to the apparent popular opinion, the Janie at the end of the novel is not a strong, independent woman simply because she's lost the love of her life and doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks about her. Indeed, feminism is in pretty sorry shape if the best message it can provide is "you're going to go through a lot of crap in your life, and the best you can hope for is to endure."
posted by Kevin at 12:55 PM
2 comments
