Imagery in Their Eyes were Watching God

1.”From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf buds to snowy virginity of bloom.” p.10. This quote is talking about the different parts of the blossoming pear tree.


2. “It was like a song forgotten in another existence then remembered again.” P.10. It is talking about how Janie is finding new revelations to her life but it was like she had already known them.

3. “…alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her.” (p. 11). Zora Neale Hurston is describing the environment surrounding the pear tree.

4. “…dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight.” (p. 11). This example is talking about a bee going into a pear blossom.

5.”they sat on the boarding house porch and saw the sun plunge inti the same crack in the earth from which the night emerged.” (p.33) this imagery talks about the day and the night come from the same place and you can either see the good or the bad.

6.”She must look on herself as the bell-cow, and the other women were the gang. So put on one of her bought dresses and went up the new-cut road all dressed in wine-colored red. Her silken ruffles rustled and muttered about her. The other women had on percale and calico with here and there a headrag among older ones.” (p.41) This quote talks about how Joe wanted Janie to look better than all the other women whenever she went out and she wore beautiful dresses in public.

7.”The men noticed her firm buttocks like she had grape fruits in her hip pockets; the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume; then her pugnacious breasts trying to bore holes in her shirt.” (p.2) This quote talks about how beautiful Janie is.

8. “He spoke of the joys of mule-heaven to which the dear brother had departed this valley of sorrow…” (p. 60). This quote is talking about the mule’s funeral and what holds in store for him in the future.

9. “Things packed up and put away in parts of her heart where he could never find them.” (p. 72). This quote is talking about Janie locking feelings that are private and she doesn’t want to share with the men in her life.

10. “incredulous laughter burst out of their eyes and leaked from the corners of their mouths…” (p. 37) This quote describes the joy and freedom people find in laughter.