The imagery in Their Eyes Were Watching God is used frequently and it describes certain events and feelings that the characters have throughout the book.
1. “The morning road air was like a new dress.” Janie was ready for change. Page 32
2. “A feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely.” Janie is now being expected to take on more responsibility and she does not feel loved. Page 46
3. “…He’s de wind and we’se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows.” Joe is now the man who has control of Eatonville. Page 49
4. “Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun.” Every day is a new chance to start over. Page 51
5. “A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her.” Janie can’t speak her mind so all of her feelings are bottled up inside her. Page 57
6. “She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels.” Janie learned to not speak and keep her opinions to herself. If she spoke her mind, there would be consequences. Page 76
7. “It was like somebody snatched off part of a woman’s clothes while she wasn’t looking and the streets were crowded.” Janie was very embarrassed because she cut the tobacco plug wrong and Joe made a fuss over it. Page 78
8. “But even these things were running down like candle grease as time moved on.” Janie starts to notice that Joe’s physical features that once made her believe that he was handsome have now changed. He has now grown old and is treating Janie terribly.
9. “He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all day that with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come.” Death is silently waiting to take Joe in his clutch. Page 84
10. “She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her.” Janie is now ready to fully blossom and show the world who she truly is. Page 89
11. “They were all so respectful and stiff with her, that she might have been the Emperess of Japan.” Now that Janie is single, all of the men want to please her and hope she will fall for them. Page 92-93
12. “He was jumping her king!” Tea Cake is already starting to win Janie’s heart. Page 96
13. “So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day.” The moon signifies the end of the day and Janie met a man who she could possibly falling for. The day was fulfilling to her. Page 99
14. “He could be a bee to a blossom—a pear tree blossom in the spring.” Janie thinks that Tea Cake could be the lover she has been looking for. Page 106
15. “Nobody else on earth kin hold uh candle to you, baby. You got de keys to de kingdom.” Janie has the keys to Tea Cake’s heart; they are both in love. Page 109
16. “De world picked out black and white for mournin’, Joe didn’t.” Janie does not want to mourn over her dead husband anymore, she is ready for new love.
17. “If people thinks de same, they can make it all right. So in the beginnin’ new thoughts had tuh be thoughts and new words said.” Janie is trying to say that great minds think alike, and it’s the thoughts and words that count.
18. “One went outside and chewed a little grass like a sick dog, he said to keep it from killing him.” The men who fought at the party were trying to hide their weaknesses. Page 123
19. “So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.” Janie can be her full self with Tea Cake.
20. “Ground so rich that everything went wild.” The soil in the muck is rich and the plants are able to grow.
21. “The rich black earth clinging to bodies and biting the skin like ants.” All of the workers would come to Janie and Tea Cakes for parties. It was as if no gave a care in the world when they had fun. Page 131
22. “You’se something tuh make uh man forgit old and forgit tuh die.” Tea Cake is telling Janie that he is so in love with that man would forget things. Page 138
23. “Beyond her faith was a fanaticism to defend the alters of her god.” Janie tries to defend her rights as a woman and a member of her race. Page 145
24. “And the lake got madder and madder with only its dikes between them and him.” The hurricane was slowing stirring which meant danger was coming. Page 159
25. “…He saw that the wind and water had given him life to lots of things that folks think of as dead and given death to so much that had been living things.” The wind was so strong that everything was flying all over the place. Page 160
26. “He stood once more and again in his high flat house without sides to it and without a roof with his soulless sword standing upright in his hand.” The destruction of nature pushed people to their limits. Page 168
27. “Tea Cake was the son of Evening Sun, and nothing was too good.” Tea Cake was finally at rest. Page 189
28. The seeds reminded Janie of Tea Cake more than anything else because he was always planting things.” Tea Cake was a hard worker and Janie thought the seeds were a aprt of him. Page 191
29. “She called her soul to come and see.” Janie’s life was finally fulfilled and she found the happiness she was longing for. Page 193
My favorite piece of imagery was “she called her soul to come and see” because the words are telling the reader that Janie finally had a fulfilled life and she was at peace with herself.
