A Journey of a Black Woman in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God

Abstract

iii ABSTRACT The present dissertation examines a black woman’s quest for identity in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Throughout the novel, Hurston’s heroine, Janie, struggles to shatter the social gender role in order to find her voice, self and therefore her identity in a world prevailed by a male who attempts to restrict and oppress her. Thus, this research aims to shed light on Janie’s journey to self-discovery and her quest for independence through analyzing themes of female self-revelation and self-realization in male dominated society. To achieve this goal, the feminist approach is adopted. After the investigation, it has been revealed that woman’s identity formulation comes from one’s own experience than others’ one.