3 Quotes

1) "So when the bread didn't rise, and the fist wasn't quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears and told her about her brains before he stalked on back to the store." (72)

This quote shows Hurston's use of syntax. Here she uses commas separating different clauses making it like an abrupt stop in time. The quick, jerky pace of this passage keeps the moment frame-by-frame. The jerkiness of the passage also kind of mimics the action of him slapping Janie over and over.

2) "Whut is it dat keeps uh man from gettin' burnt on uh red-hot stove-caution or nature?" (64)

In this quote the hot stove is used as a metaphor for the danger of humans. Hurston uses metaphors to describe things vividly and tie them into her theme.

3) "So Tony said testily, [...] So Joe Starks and his cigar took the center of the floor." (42)

Hurston often starts sentences with a conjuction, it is a part of her style.