Their Eyes Were Watching God Quotes
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Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."
They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.
Context
Chances are, when a novel's title shows up in the book itself, that quote is worth a second look. So what's going on in this scene from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God?
Tea Cake and Janie are living in the Everglades when they hear a hurricane is coming. They decide to wait it out...which turns out not to be the greatest idea as they end up hiding in their house from the storm, only to embark on a fatal journey to dry land once it's passed.
Yeah, TEWWG can be a bit of a downer.
So what does it mean? Well, the quote may be the title of the novel, but it's actually not exactly clear how it should be interpreted. Take a look at our thoughts on What's Up With the Title? for more deets.
Where you've heard it
Their eyes were watching ____________.
People just love to fill in the blank. People including Shmoop.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
We can't think of a situation in which this would be an appropriate quote to pull out, but if you find one, let us know.