Apush

Their Eyes...has universal implications for women in that it protests against the restrictions and limitations imposed upon women by a masculine society. Zora illustrates and give credence to a heroine, Janie Crawford, who must make a major decision about the course of her life. This fluid love story full of thoughtful interpretative realism, pays tribute to a black woman, who, thought constricted by the signs of the times, still demanded to be heard. The characters resonate with colorful imagery: Janie's three husbands, Mir. Killicks, Mayor Starks, her best friend Phoeby, Tea Cake, and the other images that she allows to come to life.

The story is rather awkwardly told by both Janie, and an omniscient narrator, and is revealed, for the most part, in a flashback to Phoeby Watson. The key to the novel is Janie's idea of marriage, which is pitted against other, less romantic ideas of a perfect union. Janie ends up on trial for the murder - in self-defense -of the man she loved.

This is a book that should be read by all, with its main thrust toward life and the fact of it being an affirmation rather than denial of why women possess much more strength than men...at least in this adaptation. I like it because it speaks for the self, for equality, for the pursuit of happiness instead of possessions, and lastly, it speaks for and seems to recommend a way of life uncluttered by tradition, sterotypes, and materialism. Zora had the right idea and made statements. She left us with a good signature, reminding us that we may yet learn the possibilities of ourselves.