A Review of Two Thesises on the Mythic Elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God

作者簡介： 许璐佳（1990—），女，辽宁本溪人，硕士研究生，主修英语语言文学

Many scholars such as Henry Louis Gates and Jane Campbell notice the use of mythic elements from different cultures in black writers works. In The Signifying Monkey， Gates uses the word “mulatto” to illustrate the double-voice feature of black texts which “speak in standard Romance or Germanic language” while always with a distinct accent “that signifies the various black vernacular literary traditions” （Gates， 23； Cao， 9）. Campbell further emphasizes that for the Afro-American writers， “whose ancestors…forced to subscribe to damaging notions about themselves and their heritage”（10）， the creation of a distinct mythology is “essential to the artistic process”（10）. So its not hard to understand black writers unique way of borrowing myth from other cultures to demonstrate their own tradition and heritage. Hurston is no exception and the existence of myth in her works arouses many scholars interests. An M. A. thesis， “An Archetypal Analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God” written by Cao Yanan and another research paper “The Myth and Ritual of Ezili Freda in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God” written by Derek Collins both discuss the mythic elements especially the mythic figure in the most famous novel of Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Although both writers analyze ancient mythological archetypes in this novel， the divergence is their choices of myth from different cultures. Cao insists on the influence of Greek and Egypt mythology on Hurston， so Janie is described as a combination of Isis in Egyptian mythology and Aphrodite in Greek mythology while Tea Cake is likened to Osiris， “a god whose death and rebirth were annually celebrated with alternate sorrow and joy” （Cao， 12）. Chinese Professor Gan Zhenling points out that Janie and Isis/Aphrodite have a lot in common if Janie is set in the structure of resurrection myth. First， Janie and Aphrodite both possess feminine charms which can be seen from Hurstons description of Janies black， thick hair. Second， Janies relationship with her third husbands Tea Cake is almost the same to that between the goddess and her lover. And Janies love for Tea Cake and grief after his death is nearly the same emotion that Isis had for her lover， Osiris. Tea Cakes rebirth in Janies heart happens to correspond with Osiris and Adoniss resurrection. Another surprising coincidence with the mythic story is that Tea Cake is also much younger than Janie （Gan， 94）. Even Hurston herself admits in her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road that "This Greco-Roman myth was one of my favorites. I was exalted by it， and that is the way I read my paragraph”（55）.

Derek Collins on the other hands points to a different source to understand Hurstons fascination with myth. Hurston was shown to have been to various southern American states including Haiti， a place she visited twice， to collect folklore for her coursework in Columbia University. During this period she discovered her interest in Hoodoo beliefs and practices “found wherever any number of Negroes are found in America” （Hurston 1931： 318）. Compared with remote and abstract ancient Egypt and Greek myth， Collins hence contends， Haitian religion and folklore may be a more convincing source for Hurstons use of myth. In the new interpretation， Janie resembles to a significant degree the Haitian goddess Ezili Freda in “physical beauty， barrenness， her focus on erotic love， and the lack of permanence in her relationships with men” （140）. In Haitian folklore， “Ezili Freda represents an idealized vision of erotic and unchallengeable love that does not include children. She is the very incarnation of a physical beauty that men find irresistible and women find threatening” （Collins， 143）. Just like Ezili， Janie has an irresistible charm to her three husbands Logan， Joe and Tea Cake. In the novel， the pear tree appears many times as a symbol of the awakening of Janies sexual awareness and sexual desire which corresponds with Ezilis focus on erotic love. We might say that， for Janie， there is a strong sexual component to her personal growth.

Whether we locate the source in Greek or Egyptian myth， or Haitian myth or folklore， the two interpretations share some commonalities. No matter Aphrodite or Ezili， the two goddess are both personifications of feminine beauty and grace and have threatening， fatal attraction to men in their desire for love. Aphrodite is regarded as goddess of love； likewise， Ezili represents “romantic love and erotic sexuality” （Brown， 1991： 220-57， Collins， 142）. The only minor difference is that “in Greece and Rome the goddesses of love have husbands and bear children， while Ezili has no children and her husband is all the men of Haiti” （Hurston， 1938： 232-50， Collins， 142）. But as the two writers choose two different goddess models， they tend to focus on different aspects of the character. Cao emphasizes the quest and death-rebirth motif in the mythic story of Isis/Aphrodite and reads Janie as never ceasing her search for true love and a soul mate. Although she killed her most beloved man， Tea Cake， he would forever remain in her heart. Just like the goddess capability to restore her lover， Hurston has entitled Janie with the wisdom to affirm the cycle of death and birth. Although Janie can not escape from such a life cycle， she would feel grateful for her rich life experiences and she finally understands “some experiences have such value that they make the inevitability of personal death unimportant” （Cao， 21）. Contrary to Aphrodite and Isis loyalty to their lovers， Ezili longs for love from all the men in Haiti. She is free from the bondage of marriage and she does not give in to any mans control. As Collins explores black womens awakening of self-awareness and persistent journey of self-fulfillment， he reads Jamie vividly in light of Ezili. Janie leaves her two husbands and escapes from the traditional womans role of bearing children， and after her murder of Tea Cake， she is transformed from a submissive， silent girl to an independent woman， free from mens oppression and bondage of marriage.

References

[1]Brown， Karen McCarthy. Mama Lola： A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn. Berkeley： University of California Press， 1991.

[2]Campbell， Jane. Mythic Black Fiction： The Transformation of History[M]. Knoxville： University of Tenn， 1986.

[3]Collins， Derek. “The Myth and Ritual of Ezili Freda in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God”[J]. Western Folklore， 1996（2）： 137-154

[4]Gates， Henry Louis， Jr. The Signifying Monkey[M]. London： Oxford University Press， 1989.

[5]Hurston， Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God[M]. Chicago： University of Illinois Press， 1937

[6] Hoodoo in America[J]. American Folk-lore Society， 1931

[7] Tell My Horse[M]. Philadelphia： J. B. Lippincott， 1938

[8] Dust Tracks on a Road[M]. Philadelphia： J. B. Lippincott， 1942.

[9]甘振翎. 《他們眼望上苍》的神话原型解读[J]. 大连海事大学学报（社会科学版）， 2012（2）： 92-95

[10]曹雅楠. 《他们眼望上苍》的原型分析[D]. 浙江大学，2012.