Journal #8: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Part 1:  I think Zora Neale Hurston settled on the title she did because religion and power were two things that were represented throughout the text.  The "God" figure, or the figure in charge, shifted throughout the book.  People tried many times to be the leader, in some cases better than others, and they attempted this in a variety of different ways.  The leader needed respect from the people they led, and they gained this in a variety of ways as well.  The real leader, however, showed itself during the flood, when man had no control over anything, no way to demand his respect.  Therefore, all eyes were turned to the real power, God, the supreme leader who the others strove to emulate.  My reading was effected by the title by making me notice the instances where leadership occurred in the novel, and made me more aware of how Hurston felt about leadership and religion.

Part 2:  God was a motif in Hurston's story.  She could have created a title with a similar effect by simply using another one of her motifs.  The mule, for instance, represented women and their struggles throughout the book.  Therefore, "The Tough Life of a Mule" or something similar, would create the same effect as the actual title by representing a motif that was in the book.  The reader's perspective would be altered by this new title because their attention would be more focused on the mule motif representing the oppression of women rather than Hurston's take on leadership which is represented by the God motif.  This creates a different sense of what Hurston finds most important in her writing.

Part 3:  My title, "The Tilting Banana Tree," incorporates one of my main motifs, just like Hurston did.  Reading it for the first time, the title may seem a bit ambiguous, but it gets explained as the reader gets deeper into the book, when the motif has been developed more.  Hurston's title is also ambiguous at first.  After careful reading, however, one can easily see the connection it has with God, the flood, and leadership.  My title also mirrors my theme by using my most important motif.  This will help the reader know what to look for in my story, and understand it better when they have found it.