Zora Neale Hurston and Racial Equality Essay - 1284 Words

Zora Neale Hurston and Racial Equality On September eighteenth, nineteen thirty-seven, Their Eyes Were Watching God, one of the greatest novels of this century, was published. It was met with mixed reviews. The major (white) periodicals found it enjoyable and simple, while black literary circles said it carries no theme, no message (Wright,1937). These evaluations are not mutually exclusive, but rather demonstrate the conception of Hurstons work as telling whites what they want to hear and not dealing with racism. While Hurston did receive recognition during her life, she died forgotten and wasnt considered one of Americas greatest writers until recently. Why did luminaries such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes deny†¦show more content†¦Only intellectual, open-minded whites will get it. However, this is not the group that needs their perception altered. Maybe people between these two groups are the target. These individuals will still either understand or not, so there seems to be negligible benefit from thi s approach. Does Hurston owe her race anything? When does anyone owe anything? Parents owe it to their children to raise them well; Tenants owe their landlords rent. These relationships were formed by choice. Hurston never chose her race, but she did live in Eatonville, and was raised by its African-American community. Is that where her debt came from? Children do not owe their parents for their room and board when they move out. They have the choice to raise their own children or not. If the debts of family disappear after each generation, how can debts persist among people untold generations separated? It is admirable for children to choose to help their parents, and African-Americans to choose to help their race, but they have no obligation. The most inportant question is whether Hurstons books further racial equality or not. Langston Hughes certainly didnt think so, calling her a perfect darkie. He believed whites paid her for being their happy stereotype so they could feel okay about blacks inequality (Hughes,1940). Likewise, Alain Locke criticized her avoidance of interracial confrontations (Locke,1938), as did Richard Wright and Ralph EllisonShow MoreRelatedHow it Feels to be Colored Me by Hurston and Hughes’ The Negro Mother1229 Words   |  5 PagesZora Neale Hurston vs Langston Hughes on the African American Experience Both Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were great writers but their attitudes towards their personal experience as an African American differed in many ways. These differences can be attributed to various reasons that range from gender to life experience but even though they had different perceptions regarding the African American experience, they both shared one common goal, racial equality through art. 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