Foreshadowing in the novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Aaron Anderson

Interpretative project

Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a literary device used to predict future events. It is often used in poetry, short stories, movies, and novels. One particular novel it is used in is “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The author, Zora Neale Hurston, uses foreshadowing in many different ways. Zora uses foreshadowing to move the plot forward and develop the reader’s interest. Foreshadowing events include Janie’s poetic use of speech, the questions and remarks of the townspeople, the pear tree, the mule, and Janie’s remark about Tea Cake. These are all excellent examples of foreshadowing.

            Chapter one of this novel introduces a very significant piece of foreshadowing. These couple of lines state, “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever in the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time. That is the life of men.

            Now women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.” (Hurston 1)

            This first passage is foreshadowing Janie’s whole life. Janie made it her life’s purpose to find independence, contentment, and true love. Throughout the story Janie was very proactive in accomplishing these dreams. The last sentence in the second paragraph explains that women, specifically Janie, will persistently follow their dreams no matter what the cost. It sates, “Then they act and do things accordingly.” Janie makes it clear throughout the story that she is a woman who acts.

            The gossiping townspeople also offer foreshadowing early in the story. These locals began to talk about Janie as she walked by. They said things like, “Where all dat money her husband took and died and left her?”-“What dat ole’ omen doin’ wid her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal?”-“Where she left dat young lad of a boy she went off here wid?” (2) All of these comments made about Janie offer foreshadowing to future events.

            The first question, “Where all dat money her husband took and died and left her?,” foreshadows the death of Janie’s second husband, Jody. The second question, “What dat ole” oman doin’ wid her hair swingin down her back lak some young gal?”, foreshadows a significant symbol in the story which is Janie’s hair. Janie’s hair signified her independence. The third question, “Where she left dat young lad of a boy she went off here wid?”, foreshadows Janie’s relationship with someone younger than her, which was exactly what happened later in the story.

            The pear tree foreshadows Janie’s life. When she was young Janie would spend much of her time under a pear tree. The book explained, “She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under that tree for the last three days.” (10) Janie observed the relationship between the blossom and the bee, “She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of the bloom: the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to the tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was marriage!” (11) These lines foreshadow Janie’s life by revealing her deep desire for love and affection. Her desires are seen in the book time and time again through her relationships.

            The town mule was a significant foreshadowing tool. It was used to predict the death of Janie’s second husband, Jody. The events centered around both deaths are quite similar. After the mule’s funeral, a flock of buzzards began gathering around the mule. The text explained, “As soon as the crowd was out of sight they closed in circles. The near ones got nearer and the far ones got near. A circle, a swoop and a hop with spread out wings.” (61) This was very similar to Jody’s situation. When people found out that Jody was sick, they began to come closer to the house and wait, “People who would not have dared to foot the place before crept in and did not come to the house. Just squatted under the trees and waited. Rumor that wingless bird had shadowed over the town.” (84) Just like how the buzzards circled the mule, the townspeople circled around Jody’s house. This is a powerful example of foreshadowing.

            One of the most important lines in this novel is, “Doctor, Ah loves him fit tuh kill.”  This line foreshadows the death of Tea Cake. At the end of the book, Janie is faced with a tough decision. Being mentally unstable, Tea Cake threatens to shoot Janie. Janie either has to let Tea Cake shoot her, or defend herself. Janie chooses to defend herself and kill Tea Cake as it was implied in the passage. She really was ‘fit tuh kill.’

            Throughout the story, foreshadowing is used in many different ways. The poetic language and objects like the pear tree and mule were used to foreshadow the main plot. This poetry device was used to build reader’s interest and develop the story in an interesting way. Foreshadowing truly is a key element in “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”