Quest In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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The first chapter in How To Read Literature Like A Professor is based on the vital knowledge of how to identify a quest based on a series of given details. The author, Mr. Foster, starts off by telling the reader to picture a young boy running an errand for his mother. He then builds on the plot by giving a few details of his teenage life, such as the girl he likes, the boy he despises, and the dog he escapes from. This misshapen short story seems like it might not go anywhere, but this is when the author’s main claim is expressed. Mr. Foster claims that this ordinary plot line is actually the foundation of a quest due to its incorporation of all the key elements of a quest. With this example, he explains the symbolic reasoning of why a character …show more content…
Foster’s “quest formula” as she takes upon her own quest to find her true love. The novel revolves around the main character Janie who, since a young girl, has always wanted to find love. With her grandmother as her only family, she is urged into marrying Logan Killicks. A year into the marriage, Janie figures out that marriage does not entail love, but as her grandmother recalls to her, “you (Janie) got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worryin’ me ‘bout love” (Hurston 23). Once realizing that she yearns more than a secure marriage, Janie elopes with Joe Starks, a charismatic black man trying to gain fame and wealth in a new neighborhood. At this point in the story Janie starts her journey for …show more content…
She learned many things about herself, faced challenges and in the end she got what she’s always wanted― a life full of love, happiness, and freedom. Although her love didn’t last long, she still succeeded in her quest. At the end of the story she tells her friend Phoebe to let the towns folk gossip because she doesn’t care anymore. Janie has essentially lived in Heaven and came back. She had lived her life and is content with all she’s seen and achieved. She learns the ideals of life and discovers things that no one else can understand. She faced challenges and made difficult decisions, but she earned her life’s worth and conquered her

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