DIALOGICAL STRUCTURE AND THE SEARCH FOR WHOLENESS IN THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

Abstract

Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God employs a dialogical structure that mirrors its protagonist’s spiritual and emotional evolution, intertwining poetic narration with vernacular speech to reflect the complexities of African American oral traditions and self-discovery. This novel, while initially overlooked, later became a seminal work in Black women’s literature, largely due to Alice Walker’s efforts to revive Hurston’s legacy. Although published decades apart, Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Walker’s The Color Purple share thematic intersections, particularly in their exploration of Black women’s resilience, self-expression, and resistance against societal constraints. By analyzing the novel’s linguistic structure, historical placement, and broader literary impact, this thesis demonstrates how Hurston’s work not only defies the dominant social realist narrative of its time but also serves as a precursor to contemporary Black feminist thought, highlighting the importance of voice, agency, and self-actualization in the journey toward personal wholeness.