One way that Hurston uses similes to further the reader's understanding of Janie is by using them to describe her physical characteristics. For example, Hurston states that Janie has "firm buttocks like she had grape fruits in her hip pockets" (Hurston, 2). This simile is very useful in describing Janie's shape and form. Furthermore, Hurston describes Janie's hair as "swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume" (2). Janie's hair plays a rather important role in the story; it is admired by everyone, especially the men she encounters. By describing Janie's hair as a plume, Hurston gives the impression that it is Janie's crowning glory. It raises her above the common folk and gives her a sort of distinction. Using these similes and others, Hurston effectively paints a picture of Janie's looks and physical characteristics for her readers.
Hurston also uses similes to describe Janie's physical environment and to invoke a certain mood in readers. For example, Logan Killick's house is described as "a lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods where nobody had ever been" (22). This simile gives the reader a sense of loneliness and isolation. Since Janie's environment is described in this way, the reader is able to better understand why she eventually leaves Logan. In addition, Hurston describes Janie's house after she believes Tea Cake has left her, saying, "the room inside looked like the mouth of an alligator--gaped open wide to swallow something down" (118). This simile gives readers a sense of foreboding, and they are able to understand and sympathize with Janie's uneasiness. All in all, Hurston's use of similes in describing Janie's surroundings allows readers to understand her actions and motives much more easily.
Furthermore, Hurston uses similes to further explain Janie's thoughts and ideas. One of the most significant of these comes in Chapter 2, where Hurston states, "Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone" (8). This masterfully-crafted simile gives the reader a brief glimpse of Janie's view of her life. She imagines all the pain, the sorrow, the joy, and the love she has experienced in the form of a large tree. All the things she has experienced make her complete. This simile in particular gives the readers a better understanding of Janie's thoughts and ideas, contributing to a more comprehensive knowledge of her character.
Similarly, Hurston uses similes to describe Janie's emotions. When she believes Tea Cake has taken her money and left, Janie is said to have "worried time like a bone" (118). Hurston effectively paints a picture of Janie's current emotions and state of mind, demonstrating her great anxiety and impatience and helping the reader to better understand her feelings at this time. Another key simile is found after Janie leaves Logan Killicks for Joe Starks. As Janie walks down the road toward a new life, Hurston states that "the morning air was like a new dress" (32). By describing the air in this way, Hurston gives the sense of putting on a new life like a garment. Through this simile, readers are not only able to understand Janie better but to feel the same exalting liberty that she feels. Hurston's use of similes in passages such as these not only serve to explain Janie's various emotions, but they deepen the readers' knowledge of Janie's character as well.
Overall, Hurston masterfully uses similes to give her readers a better understanding of Janie's physical appearance, her environment, her thoughts, and her emotions. Since similes compare one thing to another thing that is often familiar to the reader, Hurston is able to describe Janie is a more meaningful way. Instead of simply telling the readers that Janie looks, thinks, or feels a certain way, Hurston is able to effectively show them. Through her extensive use of similes, Hurston deepens her readers' understanding of all aspects of Janie's character from her looks to her deepest feelings.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006.
By Abigail Valine