Their Eyes Were Watching God
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20
Themes
All Themes Gender Roles and Relations Voice, Language and Storytelling Desire, Love, and Independence Power, Judgment, and Jealousy Race and Racism
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Janie Crawford Tea Cake Jody Starks Logan Killicks Nanny Crawford Leafy Crawford Pheoby Watson Sam Watson Captain Eaton Hezekiah Potts Mr. and Mrs. Robbins Annie Tyler and Who Flung Mrs. Turner Dr. Simmons
Symbols
All Symbols The Horizon The Pear Tree Checkers Mule The Hurricane
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Their Eyes Were Watching God

by

Zora Neale Hurston
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Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Their Eyes Were Watching God makes teaching easy.

Mrs. Turner Character Analysis

Mrs. Turner is Janie and Tea Cake's awkward looking and often disrespectful neighbor in the muck, who attempts to befriend Janie and alienates Tea Cake. Mrs. Turner repeatedly suggests that Janie go out with her brother, who she says is much better than Tea Cake because of his intelligence and lighter skin. Despite her own identity as a black woman, Mrs. Turner exhibits extremely racist attitudes against people of her own race, highlighting the often paradoxical and inexplicable nature of racism.

Mrs. Turner Quotes in Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Their Eyes Were Watching God quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Turner or refer to Mrs. Turner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender Roles and Relations Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

"Tain't de poorness, it's de color and de features. Who want any lil ole black baby layin' up in de baby buggy lookin' lak uh fly in buttermilk? Who wants to be mixed up wid uh rusty black man, and uh black woman goin' down de street in all dem loud colors, and whoopin' and hollerin' and laughin' over nothin'?"

Related Characters: Mrs. Turner (speaker)
Power, Judgment, and Jealousy Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
Page Number: 141
Explanation and Analysis:

It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity as all good worshippers do from theirs. All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.

Related Characters: Mrs. Turner
Power, Judgment, and Jealousy Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Turner Quotes in Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Their Eyes Were Watching God quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Turner or refer to Mrs. Turner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender Roles and Relations Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

"Tain't de poorness, it's de color and de features. Who want any lil ole black baby layin' up in de baby buggy lookin' lak uh fly in buttermilk? Who wants to be mixed up wid uh rusty black man, and uh black woman goin' down de street in all dem loud colors, and whoopin' and hollerin' and laughin' over nothin'?"

Related Characters: Mrs. Turner (speaker)
Power, Judgment, and Jealousy Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
Page Number: 141
Explanation and Analysis:

It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity as all good worshippers do from theirs. All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.

Related Characters: Mrs. Turner
Power, Judgment, and Jealousy Theme Icon
Race and Racism Theme Icon
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock with LitCharts A+
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