Animal Motifs In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Whether it be a movement, an essay, or a novel, motifs in literature and in life are significant and deserve deep investigation. Due to a motif's ability to reinforce themes through symbolization, imagery, and recursion, it is a common sight in today's most famous works. A prevalent motif in American literature and movements is that of the animal. Two exceptional examples of pieces that use animal motifs successfully are, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston and The Yippie Manifesto, by Jerry Rubin. In both of these compositions, animals appear as meaningful motifs, in order to bolster a scene or movement's emotional weight and significance and to provide the audience with connections to the outside world.
In Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, animals are present in many crucial scenes in the story, in order to strengthen the narrative, and in …show more content…
One of the reasons animal motifs are so frequently used are because they can convey messages to a reader that no other type of motif can. Humans have lived with animals for thousands and thousands of generations, so their traits and characteristics are well known, and they have been the subject and/or appeared in of a plethora of stories throughout history. This ensures that the reader will more likely understand the motif. Additionally, animal motifs can also be manipulated to carry even more meaning, like the rabid dog or the starving mule. These characteristics of animal motifs ensure that the author can develop a motif perfect for his or her needs, and therefore make a story or movement even stronger. Hurston and Rubin take advantage of this, and craft a story and a manifesto, respectively, that use animal motifs successfully, eloquently, and