On The Carnivalization In Their Eyes Were Watching God

When Their Eyes Were Watching God was first published, it didn’t catch the attention widely. In the early 1960 s, with the development of the feminist movement, many women writers’ works were dug out and reanalyzed. It is no doubt that Alice Walker makes much contribution to reapprecitate the novel. Their Eyes Were Watching God is the best-known novel of Hurston. Today it even has come to be regarded as a landmark in both African American literature and feminist literature. The thesis intends to interpret the novel in light of Bakhtin’s carnival theory in wish of widening readers’ understanding and horizons of the work. Mikhail Bakhtin puts forward the carnival theory in his study of Rabelais and Dostoevsky. He gives full explainations about several carnival elements, carnival spirits and carnivalized literature. The carnivalistic elements contain carnival collectives, carnivalistic rituals, carnival laughter. And carnival spirits help to overthrow the authority of the king and hypocrisy of official life. It is significant in shifting the hierarchical oppression and all solemn items. However, what attracts scholars most is the carnivalization which is the carnivalistic influence on literature directly or indirectly.The carnival elements, carnival ambivalence and carnival spirits are reveald in Their Eyes Were Watching God evidently. Through the anaylsis of carnival rituals, carnival square and carnival figures, we have a better understanding of the carnival theory. The carnival spirits echo with her interpretation of black female’s search for identity and freedom. More importantly, the description of marginal culture which carnival spirit emphasizes,echos with Hurston’s exploration of the black folk culture. Therefore, readers can have a grnd new perspective to analyze literary works and will have a profound comphrenhension of Bahktin’s carnival theory by analyzing Carnivalization in Their Eyes Were Watching God.