Question

Why is adherence to received tradition so important to nearly all the people in Janie's world? How does the community deal with those who are "different"?

Answer 1

Answer:

Adherence to received tradition was so important to all the people in Janie's world because this gives them a sense of belonging and also keeps them away from being resented by their peers.

The community deals withh people who are 'different' by isolating them or spreading rumors about them or slandering them.

Explanation:

'Thier Eyes Were Watching God' is a novel written by Zora Neale Hurston. The novel is centered on the protagonist, Janie Crawford and her quest of self-discovery.

In Janie's world, much adherence is given to the received tradition as this allowed people to define themselves as a part of a community or a group. The received tradition also gives them a sense of belonging to a group or community and also keeps them away from being resented by their peers.

In Janie's society, Blacks did not have traditions of their own but the traditions sanctioned by the white people. In the novel, when Joe and Janie arrived at Eatonville, it had no traditions as the town was just sprouting, but it's traditions were established on white traditions, to which Janie did not adhered.

The community, in conditions when those who do not adhere to received traditions or who are 'different', deal with them by isolating them or slandering them. When Janie did not adhere to the received tradition of how a widowed wife of mayor should behave, she was turned against by townspeople.