By: Victoria Seiberlich
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7th, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama. When Zora was just a toddler, she and her family moved to Eatonville, Florida. She described the town “a city of five lakes, three croquet courts, three hundred brown skins, three hundred good swimmers, plenty guavas, two schools, and no jailhouse” (Sonnet). When she was growing up, her father, John Hurston, was the preacher for the local church. Her mother, Lucy Hurston, stayed home with Zora and her seven siblings. Zora’s childhood ended when she was 13 years old because of her mother’s death in 1904. Zora was forced to drop out of school and take her moms place. At age 26, she still has not finished high school. So Zora pretended to be a 16 year old and said that she was born in 1901. After she graduated high school, she continued to present herself as ten years younger than she really was because she was able to pull it off. She went off to Barnard College and graduated in 1928. By 1935, she has published several short stories. The largest royalty that Zora ever earned from any of her books was $943.75. Zora Neale Hurston die on January 28, 1960 at age 69 from a stroke. When Zora died, she did not have enough money for her gravestone or her funeral. Her neighbors had to do a collection for her funeral, which was held on February 7th, 1960. She was not able to raise enough money for her gravestone. Zora did not have a gravestone until the year 1973. One her gravestone it says, “Zora Neale Hurston: A Genius o f the South.”
Her most famous book “Their Eyes Were Watching God” was published on September 8th 1937. The book presents many themes like love, marriage, speech, and gender roles. The book shows similar situations that Zora and other African Americans had to deal with during this time period. During this time period, African American was known as free people but they still were not treated like they have the same rights as the Whites. The great Migration was part of the time period that influenced Zora for her book. Many people went south for work just like Janie and Tea Cake did. The climax of the story was the hurricane. This Hurricane actually happened at the time of the book in Florida. This hurricane was called the San Felipe hurricane. The horrific rains broke the dikes of Lake Okeechobee, which caused the flooding (Chicago).
I have the Nerve to walk in my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.
- Zora Hurston
"1928 Storm Smashed Dike, Drowned Nearly 2,000 near Lake Okeechobee."
Chicagotribune.com. New Port News, 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
"Zora Neale Hurston." The Official Website of Zora Neale Hurston. Sonnet Media, 2013.
Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
