In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, many racial issues are brought up. Her novel is enjoyed greatly by whites, but many African American people found the book offensive. The book depicts many scenes where the main character Janie is slapped by her husband. African Americans found this to be offensive because Hurston portrayed black men as abusive. I do not think that Hurston deserved the criticism she received over this novel.
Hurston had many critics complain about her writing. “Richard Wright, Author of "Black Boy", disliked Zora portrayal of blacks as "common folks working bean fields". He considered writing a political tool to describe the horrors of racism,” (Zora Neal Hurston 1891-1960). Wright can talk about whatever he wants to, and so can Hurston. Wright might think that African American’s needed to talk about the end of racism everywhere, but Hurston just wanted to write a story she could relate to. Many people also criticized her because of her funding for her writing came from a wealthy white woman. Because of her own culture, Hurston died penniless. She was shunned from her culture, but she never stopped writing.
I don’t think Hurston deserved the criticism she got. There are many cultures where the husband abuses the wife. She used it to add to her plotline. She loved her culture very much, and they just abandoned her because of the way a few people interpreted her book. Even with all that criticism, she continued writing until her death because writing is what she loved to do. Her books are very popular now among all races. I am very glad that she didn’t let their criticism bring her down because I really enjoy reading her book.
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