The most interesting thing about the structure and plot of Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God is the order in which she writes it. I took the liberty of re-reading the first chapter. I was shocked. I felt as if i was reading a whole new chapter that I hadn't read yet. It felt like the bonus footage that only comes out on DVD. That is how different that chapter read given all the information that I had from the rest of the novel.
Janie's life made so much more sense. The setting was such a more concrete thing. The old women on the porch were no longer strangers. Janie was no longer a stranger. Tea Cake was no longer some mysterious young guy who had apparently whisked Janie away from Eatonville. It really showed me how much the rest of the story had shaped my opinion of the characters. Also it sets up a very interesting foundation in the story. For example when you first actually meet Tea Cake later in the book you think to yourself "oh yea hes the one she runs off with!" This creates a more coherent structure in the plotline of the novel. If anyone has neglected to do so, I highly recommend re-reading this first chapter.
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