Love Is The Essence
In the novel , Their Eyes Were Watching God , author Zora Neale Hurston portrays and depicts the theme of love in various ways . She uses multiple stylistic techniques to help emphasize the theme of love , including symbolism , figurative language and similes . Janie at first thought that love would just happen but she soon realized that it was something more than marriage and opulent, luxurious things . One of Zora's devices used was figurative language . This device is a unique way to present the storyline but still understanding the themes known to the novel . In the beginning of the novel Janie asks herself , “Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated?’’ Janie is questioning whether her marriage with Logan is going to give her happiness but she isn't sure.When they arrive at Logan’s house for the first time the narrator says , “ The house was absent of flavor, too. But anyhow Janie went on inside to wait for love to begin.” Janie’s first idea of love is that it”ll just happen and that she’ll just learn to love Logan when they’re married . Janie soon learns that its something more . When she goes to talk to Mrs.Washburn she’s confused because she doesn't feel the love for Logan , she tells Mrs.Washburn ,”Cause you told me Ah mus gointer love him , and, and Ah don’t. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it.” This shows that Janie really is still uncertain of what love truly is . Soon after Janie goes to talk with Nanny and says , “Ah wants things sweet wid mah mariage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think.Ah…” This gives the reader a better insight of what Janie’s definition of love is but this soon changes . Another element used by Zora Neale Hurston was similes . Zora used similes to compare things using like or as , which helped present the themes expressed in this novel . When Janie has finally decided to go off to meet Joe Starks she says , “The morning road air was like a new dress.”(pg 32) Janie felt that leaving Logan for Joe Starks is like a new beginning to her journey on finding love . As the story progresses , Janie is starting to become unhappy with her marriage with Joe . “So she put something in there to represent the spirit like a Virgin Mary image in a church.” This comes to show how Janie’s marriage is just a facade then of what people actually see . After Joe Starks death , as everybody goes off to the ball game Janie stays behind to manage the store . Janie is glowing on the inside because somebody is actually giving her the opportunity to express her more youthful side . “ Those full , lazy eyes with the lashes curling sharply away like drawn