Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston-
I really enjoyed both writings from Zora Neale Hurston. It was easy to follow and flowed quite smoothly. Going from looking through her eyes at the world around her to a story about a couple with ups and downs that is easily relatable I couldn’t help but want to read more.
In her first excerpt I was pulled in by the contrast between the two different pages of her life. In her hometown she was just Zora. She sung, and had a good time, and was generally a optimistic person. She was just that, a person. The color of her skin was not an issue to anyone. Then when she moved, the color of her skin became everything. It is really interesting me how in her hometown she has a personality and is a well-known character while in Jacksonville she was just a little colored girl. The way she was stereotyped for just stepping into a different city is sometimes unbelievable to me. It’s sad that she had lost herself by moving. The way the white race pushed aside another race is crazy. My favorite part is at the end when she starts to explain when race holds no weight in her book. She is just Zora. Her attitude comes out and she is just like any other woman who is strong and feminine. We are all bags filled with these things and if we are to spill them and then refill them the bag still holds it shape. I love this metaphor for humans because it rings very true to me.
In her second piece, “The Gilded Six-Bits”, I really fell in love with the characters and the relationship they held. The hardships and struggle that this couple endures is all too familiar to people even in today’s world. You have one that becomes unfaithful and yet they still stay together. There is a phase of being distant and just not really being the same relationship it was. The some sort of life changing event occurs, like a baby, and things start to slide back into place because things are put into perspective. I like how both of these stories bring perspective into each one. It really broke my heart when Missie May cheated on Joe. You feel a connection with the characters because it is a relatable experience, no matter what color we are.