동물 우화와 여성의 말하기: 『그들의 눈은 신을 보고 있었다』의 6장을 중심으로
Animal Fables and Female Speaking in Chapter 6 of Their Eyes Were Watching God
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This paper analyzes Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston’s most famous novel, focusing on the process of Janie’s obtaining the power to speak out, by using ‘oral tradition’ and ‘speaking animals’ prevalent in Afro-American culture. As black women writers have attracted public attention, and methods of literary assessment have changed and varied, the works of Hurston have been reevaluated by recent authors and critics, after years of unfair critical evaluation. Published in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God has been misunderstood by a patriarchal and racist literary culture. Thus, it has been the center of both acclaim and criticism, because it is a novel about a black woman who has the ability to speak out in a white, male-dominated society. Unlike other contemporary black writers, Hurston showed an ongoing interest in black folklore throughout her life, and her fascination with it was central to the main female character, Janie’s acquisition of the speaking ability. Most critics have thought that Hurston was ‘sloppy’ to use Afro-American folk tales in this novel, thus they have disregarded Chapter 6, which is the most important section in Janie’s acquiring speaking ability. Despite Hurston’s portraying the seemingly primitive black life in the text, however, Hurston subverts the surface text by using Afro-American folk tales and oral tradition. After Janie became familiar with the oral tradition of the black people, she gained the ability to use proper words in certain situations and the ability to thereby protest male chauvinism, as well as the boldness to criticize Jody, her second husband. In addition, Hurston used talking buzzards, very famous and frequently spoken in black folklore, as a means of signifying male authority. These features of Their Eyes Were Watching God subvert the widespread social belief of female weakness and so-called ‘primitive’ black culture, and allow Janie to achieve her confident voice as a woman at the same time. Zora Neale Hurston created a powerful female character, who can express her feelings and thoughts ‘by speaking,’ and point out men’s misunderstandings about women through her voice acquired by Afro- American folk tales and oral tradition.
Abstract
This paper analyzes Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston’s most famous novel, focusing on the process of Janie’s obtaining the power to speak out, by using ‘oral tradition’ and ‘speaking animals’ prevalent in Afro-American culture. As black women writers have attracted public attention, and methods of literary assessment have changed and varied, the works of Hurston have been reevaluated by recent authors and critics, after years of unfair critical evaluation. Published in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God has been misunderstood by a patriarchal and racist literary culture. Thus, it has been the center of both acclaim and criticism, because it is a novel about a black woman who has the ability to speak out in a white, male-dominated society. Unlike other contemporary black writers, Hurston showed an ongoing interest in black folklore throughout her life, and her fascination with it was central to the main female character, Janie’s acquisition of the speaking ability. Most critics have thought that Hurston was ‘sloppy’ to use Afro-American folk tales in this novel, thus they have disregarded Chapter 6, which is the most important section in Janie’s acquiring speaking ability. Despite Hurston’s portraying the seemingly primitive black life in the text, however, Hurston subverts the surface text by using Afro-American folk tales and oral tradition. After Janie became familiar with the oral tradition of the black people, she gained the ability to use proper words in certain situations and the ability to thereby protest male chauvinism, as well as the boldness to criticize Jody, her second husband. In addition, Hurston used talking buzzards, very famous and frequently spoken in black folklore, as a means of signifying male authority. These features of Their Eyes Were Watching God subvert the widespread social belief of female weakness and so-called ‘primitive’ black culture, and allow Janie to achieve her confident voice as a woman at the same time. Zora Neale Hurston created a powerful female character, who can express her feelings and thoughts ‘by speaking,’ and point out men’s misunderstandings about women through her voice acquired by Afro- American folk tales and oral tradition.
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