This novel, while poetically conveying a black woman's pursuit of true love, seriously addresses society's ability to be judgmental and oppressive. Gender, race, economic security, and social stratification share equally important roles in the development of the main character, Janie. Hurston vividly describes how each qualification specifically affects the character, although the racial implications are much more subtle. This subtlety allows the reader to mistakenly perceive indifferent or positive feelings towards the novel's black community.

Hurston initially establishes the ideal unimportance of race by using Janie's innocent childhood memory. Janie painfully recalls Mr. Washburn, who is the father of the family with whom they live, abusively laughing at her belief of being the same as his white children. She also remembers being teased by the other black children for her clothing, which is better than others' because hers is the Washburn children's old clothing. This recollection is multiply used by Hurston. It capitalizes children's acceptance of people for their actions, which is surpassingly more believable than portraying adults with the same feelings. It displays t

Mrs. Turner, while sharing Janie's mixed racial background, speaks adamantly against blacks. She insultingly and unsuccessfully suggests that Janie marry a lighter skinned man than Tea Cake. The duality of Mrs. Turner's perspective is profound. Her attitudes exploit oppressive white sentiments, while simultaneously expressing the effect slavery and continued oppression has on the black community. She implies that black people deserve injustice. Not using a white character to display these attitudes allows Hurston more tenacity in her expression.

Despite these examples of injustice towards people, solely because of their skin color, the novel does not portray Hurston as a bigot. Without conveying an image of a racially accepting society and having Janie realize that her happiness is dependent exclusively on her reactions to external stimulus, the novel closes with positive feelings. The author places the responsibility for personal happiness on Janie, and subsequently, the reader.

he dependence of black people on white people for success. Finally, it instates the Washburn family as the representation of white culture; accordingly initiating a negative undertone towards Janie's ethnicity. However, these prejudices and their undermining effect depicted within the novel are soundly contrasted by Janie's peaceful disposition a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Janie Hurston, Tea Cake, Watching God, black people, black characters, black woman's, white people, black community, successful black, positive feelings, tea cake,
Approximate Word count = 907
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)