DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjahss.2025.v13i12.007

Pages: 580-587

Their Eyes Were Watching God marks a shift in the style of writing and presentation of the experiences of African Americans, who had just been set free from slavery. The book gives an account of the culture of the people in an African community partially insulated from the larger American society. There comes a storm, when the main character Janie Crawford and her husband relocate to a place called the Everglades. It comes to a point when the people are reminded of their fate in America. It happens as a storm breaks down the walls of a dam, the Okeechobee Dam. While they are subjected to these conditions and, as the storm rages, they look up and wonder if God has forsaken them. There is a reflection of what seemed like the reality of the African American question. This is tied to their experience in America, which goes back to the onset of slavery in Africa. They experience historical and collective trauma. While this study is concerned with this phenomenon, it makes an entry. This entry is the addition of the African continent. It has been an omission this article intends to correct. The correction is a responsibility that should be undertaken by African scholars. The correction is necessary to sensitize the Africans who have disconnected themselves from the slavery discourse. Since this is a literary work, the research was carried out using books, articles and related materials.