Hurston Compared To Ellison

Zora Neale Hurston and Ralph Ellison chose some similar techniques for telling their stories, but their narration is also starkly different. One commonality between the two that was mentioned in class is the fact that they both start the story off with the end. In Ellison’s case, we are introduced to the narrator with a sense of confusion, and readers are instantly pulled in by his strange personality and actions. Similarly, Hurston starts us off with a mystery, but one of contrasting nature. Their eyes were watching god begins with “So the beginning of this was a woman and she had come back from burying the dead” (Hurston 1). Where is the woman returning from? What does “burying the dead” mean? We don’t know the answers to either of these questions, and just like Invisible Man, we’re set up to search for the answers.

A difference that is purely based on the structure of the storytelling is the fact that Invisible Man is written in first-person, whereas their eyes were watching god is written in third-person. The fact that their eyes were watching god is written in third-person is strange because the novel is Janie telling her story. It feels weird having Janie’s story diluted through the narrator’s voice because it takes away some of her personality, especially when compared to Invisible Man. The narrator of Invisible Man is filled with passion, and it’s a rarity when we don’t know how or what he’s feeling. The narrator of their eyes were watching god being unknown makes me wonder what his or her background is and who they align with. As of right now, I’m leaning towards the mindset that the narrator is just an omnipotent, uncaring figure. I haven’t felt that the narrator is for or against Janie in any of the scenes.

One of the largest differences between the two is in the language used in the narration. Hurston uses flowery, poetic, and oftentimes confusing language. Reading her writing is like going through a poem, and there is a constant struggle to find out which passages have meanings and what their meanings are. On the other hand, the majority of Ellison’s scenes have underlying messages, so it’s easier to catch on and delve further into the novel. Reading Invisible Man first has helped me to pick up on some of the symbols Hurston has hidden in her writing, but I can’t help but feel like I’m missing most of them. I think that their eyes were watching god is a book that is better the second time through. That isn’t to say I’m not enjoying it, but Hurston is not making it easy for me to discover her intent for writing the book and what the novel’s many themes are and mean. This is all subject to change, however, considering we’re only about halfway through the book, and many ideas will likely become clearer as we complete the circle and return to where the novel started.