Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance

I found an informative article on Gradesaver.com that suggests that Zora Neale Hurston's literary work during the 30's (which is when this book was written) contributed to the Harlem Renaissance. Oddly enough, the article confirms the point made in my last entry about the subtle"Duality" theme in the book:

"One of the quintessential themes of the Harlem Renaissance was the notion of "twoness," a divided awareness of one's identity... American and Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."

The article comments that though Hurston shares many of the ideals in of the Harlem Renaissance, her themes and political agenda extend far beyond the movement. Unlike the communist sympathizers of the Harlem Renaissance (like Langston Hughes), "Hurston supported the Back to Africa movement led by Marcus Garvey."

From my perspective (the reader's perspective) I would say that this is true. Hurston has a very naturalist view. In chapter 18, when a storm threatens the lives of Tea Cake and Janie, they refuse to leave town and heed the warnings of the Indians and Bahaman, as they may lose their jobs as bean-pickers. Hurston is thus commenting that American blacks are too far removed from their roots. The people who are closest to nature (the Indians and the Bahamans) understand God's ways and signals. The blacks and white Americans are too preoccupied with money to "watch God." Nowhere in this book does Hurston praise capitalism.

So it seems as though a larger theme in this book is infact her "political agenda." As the title reveals, no matter how big an empire that man appears to build, God will always transcend.