The significance of the title in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston quotes the title of the novel only once throughout the entire book and it occurs in the midst of the hurricane. The title is significant because it reveals how vulnerable we truly are. No matter what race, gender, or social class we belong to, there are things in life that do not take such distinctions into consideration. Beneath it all, we are all the same, and are all susceptible to the will of God. For instance, the hurricane in the novel did not seek out a particular group of people, gender, or social class, but killed anyone that was in its path. It is easy for us to forget how similar we all are in our vulnerability until we face a situation that is out of our control. Janie’s eyes were watching God because she knows that their lives are in His hands. What was given to her can be easily taken away. Only He knows what will happen next. This scene in the novel exposes a sense of humility in the recognition of how small and powerless we are. Such instances reveal the ridiculousness and irrelevance of the existence of race, gender, and social class.