Hurston breaks several of the themes of the Harlem Renaissance. One in particular is to make other Americans aware of the African-American experience. Richard Write states, "Their eyes, as a novel, exploits those quaint aspects of Negro life that satisfied the tastes of a white audience. It did for literature what the minstrel show did for theater, that is, made white folks laugh"(1). Write, as a critic, fulfills his duty to critique literature truthfully. In Hurston's novel she rarely states anything about the reality of the South at that time.

Hurston breaks the three most important rules of the Harlem Renaissance: to protest racial oppression, to make other Americans aware of the African-American experience, and to define and exalt the African-American heritage experience. Hurston takes no time to include these three major themes of the rebirth. Janie is treated like a white woman of the time. Hurston does not include any evidence of racial oppression. She makes black life seem comfortable and pleasant. All of this adds up to a potent argument and that is why Their Eyes Were Watching God should be exiled from the Harlem Renaissance.

For the duration of the book Hurston does not write to protest racial oppression. This breaks yet another theme of Harlem Renaissance writing. She discusses black life as if it were the same as white life. She neglects to mention any information to protest racial oppression. Hurston does this by writing a melodious novel; it is very appealing to the reader. '"What she doin' coming back here in dem overhalls? Can't she find no dress to put on? -Where's dat blue satin dress she left here in?"'(2). In this passage Hurston appeals to the reader. She is trying to use pleasant vernacular while getting her point across. No where does Hurston attempt to state any opposition to racial oppression. Again, she is making the book sound like black culture is effortless and simple. '"Tea Cake, Ah 'clare Ah don't know whut tuh make outa you. You'se so crazy. You better lemme fix you some breakfast"'(102). This sounds exactly like a normal white person conversation. Most blacks of that era could only dream about the getting breakfast in morning. In tradition most blacks would wake up on cold hard earth and go straight to work, and yet Hurston disregards to state reality. Even though the book is fiction, it must obey the three themes of the Harlem Renaissance. Racial oppression includes lynching and Hurston does not express these racist actions. In

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1322
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)