Empathy and 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'

Reading ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’, it gives an incredibly personal insight into an incredibly interesting character, and it is through this incredibly unique character, that Hurston can create a very powerful and meaningful emotional bond between the reader and the novel. Janie Crawford’s journey to self-discovery is an entirely unique one, and aids greatly in a naive reader’s emotional intelligence, through its uniqueness. Janie’s journey is unfamiliar to many readers, and through reading this incredibly authentic story, I, as a reader, learn about the cultures and complexities behind the life of a black woman living in the South. Wallace's speech deals with the concept of looking behind the curtain, examining the lives of others when interacting with them. Wallace discusses removing the attitude that we are center of the universe, using grocery shopping as an example of when human bullheadedness can bring about unnecessary unhappiness. He advises us to consider the lives of others, looking at their good qualities, rather than their bad qualities. I feel that this advice, of living in the moment connects with Janie's free spirit, with Janie avoiding any and all judgement, as evident in her conscious decision to ignore the societal pressure to avoid Tea Cake.

The emphasis on empathy comes from Janie’s powerful character. Throughout the novel, we rarely see moments of weakness, and by the end of the novel, she remains the same vibrant character we saw in the beginning of the novel, with the one difference being that she is much, much more outspoken and confident. Had Hurston used a weaker character, it would have inspired more of the much weaker sympathy. One of the more powerful examples of this intense characterization, and impact that I have felt on my emotional intelligence, came with the book, ‘Goodbye Mr. Tom’, a book that follows the bond between an old, grumpy Mr. Tom, and a boy sent to live with him in the countryside, avoiding the blitz of London. Set in WW2, the book tackles abandonment issues between the boy and his mother, establishes a real and personal connection between the man and the boy, and finally tackles the subject of abuse, with the boy being abused by his mother once he returns to London. The novel’s approach to the subject of abuse is what helped remain so cemented in my memory, specifically a scene where the boy soils himself out of fear. As a young child, it was probably my first encounter with child abuse of any kind, and it taught me a great deal, and I feel that this novel holds the same weight. At this time, I’m unsure that it as influential as ‘Goodnight, Mr. Tom’, as as a young adult, I am more educated on the troubles of the world. However, it still holds a great emotional toll that teaches a great deal of empathy to the audience, not sympathy.