An Analysis of the Narrative Function of the Economic Elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Abstract

In Zora Neale Hurston’s representative work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, economic elements occupy a large proportion. This paper aims to analyze economic elements and explore the narrative function of the economic elements in the novel: to participate in the construction of the social background, to advance the development of the plot and create the conflict between characters, to promote the shaping of the characters. Through the narrative function of economic elements in the above aspects, Hurston explores and reflects on the economic status of black women, the value of black women’s life, and the equal status of black men and women in society.