Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes have differing ideas about the passing on of ideas. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie rejects the ideas that were passed down to her by her grandmother, while in Langston Hughes poems, he emphasizes the preservation of ideas and culture passed down through generations. Growing up with her grandmother, Janie’s inchoate sense of self, like any other child inundated with the views of his or her guardian, takes on Nanny’s beliefs without question from a young age: “Tain’t Logan Hillocks Ah wants you to have baby, it’s protection.” (pg 15). Although Nanny imposes her beliefs on Janie with the hopes of Janie having a good life, the idea of a woman needing a man as a provider and for protection end up restricting Janie and her desires.
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She could see no way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant.” (pg 21). To sixteen year old Janie, love was bound to blossom from a marriage. Married people loved each other because that was what she had learned from Nanny. Janie had no concept of real romantic love and everything both people in a relationship must sacrifice. These ideas that were passed on to her ended up hurting her in her marriages because she had no sense of her authentic self, nor what it means to be in a healthy relationship. Eventually, she flouts the ideas that she inherited, burning the head rags she was forced to wear, and revealing her hair as a symbol of her newfound freedom. She declares that she hates her grandmother for diminishing her horizons, in turn diminishing Janie’s opportunities. In contrast, Langston Hughes advocates for the life of past ideas and past
She could see no way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant.” (pg 21). To sixteen year old Janie, love was bound to blossom from a marriage. Married people loved each other because that was what she had learned from Nanny. Janie had no concept of real romantic love and everything both people in a relationship must sacrifice. These ideas that were passed on to her ended up hurting her in her marriages because she had no sense of her authentic self, nor what it means to be in a healthy relationship. Eventually, she flouts the ideas that she inherited, burning the head rags she was forced to wear, and revealing her hair as a symbol of her newfound freedom. She declares that she hates her grandmother for diminishing her horizons, in turn diminishing Janie’s opportunities. In contrast, Langston Hughes advocates for the life of past ideas and past