Adam's Honors English 9 Blog: Criticism of Zora Neale Hurston

During Zora Neale Hurston’s lifetime, she encompasses a lot of criticism, especially from other authors during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Some people greatly praised Hurston for writing such an intellectual book full of the images of the black life while others did the opposite of that.

One of these authors who was known for this criticism was Richard Wright. Wright had a very strong voice during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and many people either listened to him or respected him. The criticism was so cruel and malicious towards Hurston that she eventually went into seclusion. He says that, “the minstrel technique that makes the white people laugh" (Wright, 1937). This says that Wright accuses her of writing explicitly writing about how the black people were tormented by the white people with racial comments in her novel too. Wright also said she wrote to satisfy the white audience and to make sure they were satisfied. He also accuses her of continuing the black tradition of white folks “just laughing” at what they do. Wright also said that “Her characters eat and laugh and cry and work and kill; they swing like a pendulum eternally in that safe and narrow orbit in which America likes to see the Negro live: between laughter and tears” (Wright, 1937). Wright’s criticism was very negative and it made Zora Neale Hurston feel embarrassed and stupid. She was accused of all of these things about the Negro life of characters in her book. With all of this criticism of stereotype, Zora Neale Hurston went into hiding.

I do not agree with the criticism that Hurston received because Hurston was just portraying the black life in a simple but detailed way. The characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God are depicted in an honest and realistic way during the times of prejudice against the black people. Hurston was determined to write a great book and that is exactly what she did. The praise from this book should stand out more than the harsh criticism that it received. The criticism was so mean and unjust, especially for a book that was written in only seven weeks by Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston was just showing the facts of the real black life in the 1930s with great detail and numerous motifs and symbols. Hurston took a chance by writing this book and she accomplished this daring feat. Every book receives some criticism, but Their Eyes Were Watching God received way too much negative criticism. I do not agree with the cruel criticism of this book and that Hurston just wrote from the heart and what she encountered in her own life, making this a fantastic book to read.