In both books, there are major social injustices occurring. This injustices are displayed in different ways, and in different intensities. Night is centered around the holocaust, which was extreme discrimination against the Jewish community, and anyone of Jewish heritage. Their Eyes Were Watching God was centered around Janie growing up, but racism did show up as a minor player.
Janie and Tea Cake experienced racism first hand, as they visited their hurricane swept village. Two white men ordered Tea Cake (black) to dig graves for the deceased. Then, Tea Cake was told to check if the dead were black or white. For the white men said "They makin' coffins fuh all de white folks. 'Tain't nothin' but cheap pine, but dat's better'n nothin'. Don't dump no white folks in de hole jus' so." (Hurston, 170) The white men had blatantly said that the dead people, who were white, deserved more of a burial than those who were back.
The injustice in Night is much worse that in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Elie Wiesel was taken to prison camps, and the forced labor camps, solely due to the fact that he was Jewish. Hitler believed that all Jews were bad, and must be rounded up. He killed many, and forced countless others to work. The injustice in Night is much worse, but the racism in Their Eyes Were Watching God should also be noticed, for the book is placed in the South, after blacks were just getting their rights back.
No comments:
Post a Comment