Birds of the same feathers flock together. Wuthering Height’s by Emily Bronte and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, as different as they might seem, also have a lot in common and expresses similar ideas in different forms. Wuthering Heights talks about how Heathcliff, (a once homeless child who is brought from Liverpool is brought into Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw) desperately fights to gain revenge on all those who caused him to loose his one and only true love Catherine Earnshaw and also those who gave him a brutal and undeserved childhood. Their Eyes were watching God talks about how Janie goes on a journey of self discovery which involved marrying three men and consistent movement. Her last husband however was the one in whom she discovered true love and treated her well. The two novels collectively talk about the repression and possession by men over women and also elaborate on how love and social status changes people and their perception about life.
The depictions of women in the two novels are very similar. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, women were the least concern of men. They were always left at home, cooking and looking after the children whilst the men worked to fend for the family. We also notice that the men were usually seen in front of Joe Starks store talking and having fun leaving their wives at home to take care of things. In the very beginning of the book the Hurston clearly points that out by saying “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time. This is the life of men”. In Wuthering Heights, women were treated no differently. They were not considered as heir’s to the families property even if they were the oldest amongst the children. Women who are not fortunate enough to be born into a rich family depend solely on their family, their husbands or do odd jobs like working as maid servants for other people. Most women try to avoid these hardships by marrying men with good social status, In Wuthering Heights, Catherine admits that she would not marry Heathcliff because by doing so both of them would end up as beggars even though she loved him. She also admits to wanting to be “lady of the whole neighborhood”. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is forced to marry Logan by her grandmother because of his social status. Her grandmother claimed that “I don’t want you to end up like your mother, I want to see you big n at the top”.
Love is another important theme that both novels have in common. The love affairs in both novels are expressed in different forms but have the same meaning. In Wuthering Height’s, the love affair between Heathcliff and Catherine stood out the most. Having loved each other right from childhood, the two of them were so fond of each other to the extent that not even death could separate them. Their love for each other was tested when Catherine married Edger. But that was not enough to stop them from loving each other. Catherine said during a conversation with Nelly Dean that “I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.” Heathcliff was torn apart after the death of Catherine and he tried to take revenge on all those people he believed were the cause of her death. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the love affair between Janie and Teacake stood out the most. Janie’s ultimate and final self discovery came during her marriage to Tea Cake. Her love for Teacake was so much that she shut down her store and left her magnificent house only to go and live with Tea Cake in a creepy and rented place far away in Everglades. She was willing to go the extra mile with Tea Cake because of the unconditional and extreme love and respect he had for her. Janie expressed her love for Tea Cake during a conversation with Phoeby when she said “Ah’m older than Tea cake, yes. But… He done taught me de maiden language all over.” Love always conquers all, which is why the two novels shows us the odds the characters had to go through in other to be together
Despite the similarities that exist between these two novels, there are still some differences that make them individually. One major difference is the narrative styles. Wuthering heights has a unique and different type of narrative style which involves two narrators. One of whom is an outsider (Mr. Lockwood) and the other an insider (Nelly Dean), thus giving the reader a two points of view of what the whole novel is really about. With this form of narrative style, the reader has some trust for the narrator’s because they both tell the same thing which proves that none of them is lying. On the other hand, in Their Eyes were watching God, there is only one main narrator who tells the story and in whom the readers are solely dependent. The two narrating styles the writers used differentiate their works and also makes them unique in their own way.
Another significant difference between the two novels is the difference in setting. Wuthering Heights has a setting which portrays the life and conditions in which the writer, Emily Bronte lived in. Wuthering heights takes place in the Thrushcross Grange, Wuthering Heights and the Moors. Every house has its own kind of people, with different behaviors and characters. For example the Lintons in Thrushcross Grange are more civilized than the Earnshaws who reside in Wuthering Heights. Also the Lintons are more united than the Earnshaws. This shows how, ones environment determines his or her life stlye. On the other hand, Their Eyes Are Watching God doesn’t have a steady or specific setting. This is due to the fact that the protagonist keeps moving from one place to another. She first starts off in West Virginia with her Grandmother and then moves in with Logan after their marriage. After about six months with Logan, she runs off with Joe Starks to Eatonville, where she lives for twenty years. Then after the death of Joe Stark’s, she goes off with Tea Cake to Everglades. The different setting portrayed by both authors also differentiates their works and shows us how the setting affects the lives and decisions of the characters.
By comparing and contrasting the two novels we learn how the two authors portray love and also the stand of women in a family. We also learn the differences that exist between them. Comparing and contrasting also lets us into the minds of the authors, us we try to reason with both of them.
