Animal Motifs In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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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 the case of Matt Bonner’s yellow mule, provide depth and emotion to a moment in Janie’s life. Hurston uses this motif by first developing an emotional connection between the reader and the mule. The townspeople make fun of the mule, saying, “Matt, dat mule so skinny till de women is usin’ his rib bones fuh uh rub-board, and hangin’ things out on his hock-bones tuh dry” (Hurston, 52). Then, Hurston has Janie show the reader the mule's importance, "Everybody indulged in mule talk. He was next to the Mayor in prominence, and made better talking" (Hurston, 53). Now, the stage has been set for an important event involving the mule. Joe, Janie's husband, and mayor of the town decides to buy the mule to save it from Matt Bonner's harsh treatment, but also to show his affection for his wife. Janie is initially pleased, remarking, Jody, dat wuz uh mighty fine thing fuh you tuh do. ‘Tain’t everybody would have thought of it, ‘cause it ain’t no everyday thought. Freein’ dat mule makes uh mighty big man outa you. Something like George Washington and Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln, he had de whole United States tuh rule so he freed de Negroes (Hurston, 58). Her comparisons of her husband to Abraham Lincoln suggest that the mule would represent the African American slaves of the United States, further enhancing the meaningfulness of the mule as a motif. This comparison is clear even later in the story when the mule is freed, it is treated nicely by the entire town for a while, until a townsperson finds him dead, "under the big tree on his rawbony back with all four feet up in the air" (Hurston, 59). Whereafter it is dragged out of the town and fed to the vultures while the rest of the town parties (Hurston, 61-62). This parallels the story of slavery in America: ex-slaves enjoy freedom for a while in the late 1800s before unethical Jim Crow laws are instated shortly after the turn of the century. Not only does Hurston use the mule to represent slavery, but also to help show Joe’s shallow love for Janie. He spares the mule for her, but then, after its humiliating death, he prevents Janie from attending the disgracious funeral. “No, the carcass moved off with the town, and left Janie standing in the doorway” (Hurston, 60). This moment in the story is crucial, because it is a turning point in Janie’s life, and is ultimately one of the reasons why she decides to no longer believe in
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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

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