Stories Within Stories
Dialogue and narrative have a constant interplay throughout the entirety of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The dialogue is compromised entirely of phonetic dialect, yet contains the same vivid figurative language often found in Hurston's elevated narrative. Within the section of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the narrative presents the reader with characterization and ideas that are supported or put into action by the colorful dialogue which follows.
As the section begins, the narrative serves as a way of providing setting. It states that this is simply "another day" in Janie's life, and that the section will take place on the porch. The language becomes figurative, describing the stories that are shared there as "thought pictures". This lends the stories a sense of importance and vividness that helps the reader see that they will be a focal point of the section. In the section paragraph, the narrative switches to providing background information on an often repeated subject of the stories told on the porch, Matt's mule. The men who will provide the dialogue are characterized as "ring leaders" of these tales as they know more about the subject than "the whole county." The men are clearly meant to be seen as instigators as the only motivation they need to formulate a tale is to see "Matt's long spare shape" approaching their porch.
When the dialogue begins the characterization provided by dialect is instantaneous as Sam tells Matt that the men were "about tuh come hunt" him due to a matter concerning his mule. Lige receives characterization as well as he will often "cut in" to assist in distressing Matt. Matt prods that he isn't in the mood for "y'alls foolishness" and Sam, ringleader of the ringleaders, relents that the "womenfolk" are using the ribs of the beast "fuh uh washboard". This reveals that the mule is clearly in a bad state which demonstrates the men's lack of compassion for the creature as it is seen as only property.
While surrounded by dialogue, there are still instances of narrative providing small actions and reactions, as when a "clap of laughter" comes from the men as Sam straight-facedly delivers his tale of the mule's plight as a washboard, and that the women hang things "on his hock-bones" to dry afterward. It is only know that Matt realizes they were tricking him, and this angers the man. This anger triggers his stammering, which is of course present in the phonetic dialogue. When the men accuse him of not feeding the mule, he retorts that he feeds him "uh full cup uh cawn" every day. Sam's answer to that is to state that he uses "uh tea cup" to measure it, furthering his role as a provider of amusement and anatagonizer of Matt. When Matt claims the mule is simply "too mean" or trying to avoid work, this truly strengthens the reader's understanding of the man's disregard for the beast's health, and the somewhat morbid humor the other's seem to find in it.
Throughout the novel, Hurston's narrative and dialogue continue this symbiotic relationship of building on each other and explaining each other to the reader. Dialogue shows what the narrative tells, creating a work with seamless flow between prose and dialect that contributes to the reader's understanding of characters, culture, and not just the dialogue being spoken, but those who are speaking it.
As the section begins, the narrative serves as a way of providing setting. It states that this is simply "another day" in Janie's life, and that the section will take place on the porch. The language becomes figurative, describing the stories that are shared there as "thought pictures". This lends the stories a sense of importance and vividness that helps the reader see that they will be a focal point of the section. In the section paragraph, the narrative switches to providing background information on an often repeated subject of the stories told on the porch, Matt's mule. The men who will provide the dialogue are characterized as "ring leaders" of these tales as they know more about the subject than "the whole county." The men are clearly meant to be seen as instigators as the only motivation they need to formulate a tale is to see "Matt's long spare shape" approaching their porch.
When the dialogue begins the characterization provided by dialect is instantaneous as Sam tells Matt that the men were "about tuh come hunt" him due to a matter concerning his mule. Lige receives characterization as well as he will often "cut in" to assist in distressing Matt. Matt prods that he isn't in the mood for "y'alls foolishness" and Sam, ringleader of the ringleaders, relents that the "womenfolk" are using the ribs of the beast "fuh uh washboard". This reveals that the mule is clearly in a bad state which demonstrates the men's lack of compassion for the creature as it is seen as only property.
While surrounded by dialogue, there are still instances of narrative providing small actions and reactions, as when a "clap of laughter" comes from the men as Sam straight-facedly delivers his tale of the mule's plight as a washboard, and that the women hang things "on his hock-bones" to dry afterward. It is only know that Matt realizes they were tricking him, and this angers the man. This anger triggers his stammering, which is of course present in the phonetic dialogue. When the men accuse him of not feeding the mule, he retorts that he feeds him "uh full cup uh cawn" every day. Sam's answer to that is to state that he uses "uh tea cup" to measure it, furthering his role as a provider of amusement and anatagonizer of Matt. When Matt claims the mule is simply "too mean" or trying to avoid work, this truly strengthens the reader's understanding of the man's disregard for the beast's health, and the somewhat morbid humor the other's seem to find in it.
Throughout the novel, Hurston's narrative and dialogue continue this symbiotic relationship of building on each other and explaining each other to the reader. Dialogue shows what the narrative tells, creating a work with seamless flow between prose and dialect that contributes to the reader's understanding of characters, culture, and not just the dialogue being spoken, but those who are speaking it.