Question

In at least one hundred words, discuss the significance of race in Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Answer 1

Answer:

In addition to the basic premise that racism holds white men as inherently superior to blacks, the narrator presents the oppressed minority as a community whose constituents internalize and often propagate traditional racist notions. The novel shows a black community torn by sharp jealousy, racism based on skin color, and a desire to tear down their more successful peers.  

The most important aspect of race in Their Eyes Were Watching God, however, is that it attempts to take a holistic look at black Southern culture. The novel highlights positive aspects of the culture...but it doesn't hold back from examining the trauma of the history of black persecution and the effect that has on black communities at the turn of the 20th century.