Feminist Theory - "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

 

Overview

In this website, we intend to show how the idea of feminism relates to the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Included are voice threads discussing the importance of this novel's feminist symbols, innovation in terms of time period, and marriages and obstacles Janie undergoes in order to find herself as a woman. In addition, we provide the reader with ideas on how to teach yourself or a class the material needed to understand feminism in regards to this novel.

Essential Questions

1. What is feminism? Why is Janie a good example of a strong woman?
2. What are feminists trying to liberate themselves from? How did Janie accomplish this?
4. Is marriage a process by which women exchange freedom for monetary gain? Is this situation still applicable today?
5. How are domestic symbols used throughout this novel to reference the feminist theory?
6. How did the time period of the novel play a part in the underlying theme of feminism?
7. Was Zora Neale Hurston for or against women's rights? Why?

Teaching the Theory

We hope this website will assist the reader on how to teach the feminist theory using Their Eyes were Watching God.
Once you have read this website, and listened to all of the voice threads,  we suggest teaching the theory to the class and giving them a test or quiz to increase their knowledge. In order to get best results in class, try having an open but guided discussion where students can add their ideas but also learn about the feminist theory as they go along. In addition, you may wish to give a project to your class. We recommend that you have your class make a fun board game with the feminist symbols, events, and themes related to the feminist theory in the novel.