History Literature / TheirEyesWereWatchingGod

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* PluckyGirl: Janie.

* YouAreWhatYouHate: Ms. Turner.

** [[spoiler:Tea Cake beats Janie in a fit of jealousy.]]

* FunetikAksent: All the dialogue.

* JerkAss: Joe Starks is a DomesticAbuser who only wants Janie to be a TrophyWife of his.

* RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Janie does this to Starks shortly before he dies.

* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler:Tea Cake gets bitten by a rabid dog and becomes AxCrazy and Janie is forced to kill him.]]

* ShamefulStrip: Discussed. One of Joe's especially cruel ([[MaliciousSlander and untrue]]) insults at Janie is compared to someone snatching off her clothing in a public place. There's an initial laugh at his RefugeInAudacity before RealityEnsues and people realize just what a [[KickTheDog pointlessly cruel]] thing it was to say and do.

''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' is a 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston. It's considered a hallmark of African-American literature, women's literature, and the Harlem Renaissance. At the time of its original release, it was heavily criticized by other African American authors, mainly for its use of phonetic accents for dialogue of the characters and the theme of division between light and dark skinned blacks. Hurston died in relative obscurity, but in modern times her works have been widely studied as a staple of Harlem Renaissance literature.

The book begins with the main character Janie Crawford, a black woman in her early 40s, returning to Eatonville in central Florida. There, she is reunited with her best friend Pheoby and tells the story of her life. Starting with her earliest childhood memories, Janie describes the many phases of her life and [[CharacterDevelopment how she grew throughout the years]]. In particular, she focuses on her marriages to three different husbands: Logan Killicks, who did not view her as a equal and tries to dominate her; Joe Starks who, though initially charismatic and charming, turns out to be jealous and abusive to Janie, and Tea Cake, the husband who was the most loving and treated Janie as an equal human.

* DomesticAbuse: Janie's second husband, Joe Starks, strikes her when she fails to cook a good dinner for him despite her best efforts and also tries to emotionally control her by forcing her to cover up her beautiful hair against her wishes.
* DomesticAbuser: Joe Starks. Janie's first husband, Logan Killicks, isn't physically abusive, but he treats her more as a servant than an equal, so it results in a miserable marriage.

Was made into a TV movie in 2005 starring Creator/HalleBerry and [[MrFanservice Michael Ealy]], produced by [[TheOprahWinfreyShow Oprah Winfrey]].

* WriteWhoYouKnow: Tea Cake was based on a former lover of Hurston's.

Was made into a TV movie in 2004 starring Creator/HalleBerry and [[MrFanservice Michael Ealy]], produced by [[TheOprahWinfreyShow Oprah Winfrey]].

* IAmWhatIAm: Janie

The book begins with the main character Janie Crawford, a black woman in her early 40s, returning to Eatonville in central Florida. There, she is reunited with her best friend Pheoby and tells the story of her life. Starting with her earliest childhood memories, Janie describes the many phases of her life and [[CharacterDevelopment how she grew throughout the years]]. In particular, she focuses on her marriages to three different husbands: Logan Killicks, who did not view her as a equal and tries to dominate her; Joe Starks who, though initially charismatic and charming, turns out to be jealous and abusive to Janie and Tea Cake, the husband who was the most loving and treated Janie as an equal human.

* TitleDrop: "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."

Was made into a TV movie in 2004 starring HalleBerry and [[MrFanservice Michael Ealy]], produced by [[TheOprahWinfreyShow Oprah Winfrey]].