The first interpretation of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is that this novel is the story of a woman's struggle to find herself in a very hard and difficult time for her African American women in the United States. Janie, the protagonist, goes through several trials – and several husbands – in an attempt to find her voice. It's a simple story, with very relatable themes. However, according to Richard Wright, author of Black Boy, among other works, his story does not have a strong message and, in his opinion, does not contain the right message. “It is difficult to evaluate… Their eyes were looking at God. This is not because there is some hidden or implicit esoteric meaning in either novel; but rather because neither novel has an underlying idea or theme that lends itself to meaningful interpretation” (Wright). Wright's political motivations hinder him and blind him to Hurston's anthropological approach to writing. Two separate conclusions can be drawn from Wright's assessment of the novel: that Hurston was not portraying African Americans in the right light, which may lead the reader to draw other than positive conclusions about blacks at this time; or that Hurston was simply following his teachings in anthropology and was just trying to tell a story and let the reader draw their own conclusions from the novel. The problem Wright sees in the novel may be that in a time of such struggle for African Americans, Hurston did not write for the cause, did not write like Wright, and did not try to add to Wright's social commentary. Overall, Richard Wright's review of Hurston's novel was not appropriate and was extremely biased. The first problem Wright states in his review or...... middle of paper ...... spreading this truth to whites who were not educated about southern black culture at that time. This book congratulates the culture and does not belittle it. Hurston's anthropological approach to writing is among the most even-handed writings to come out of this period and reflects the truth as almost no other author was able to do at this time. Works Cited Duck, Leigh A. “Go There Tuh Know There.” American Literary History 13 (2001): 265-94.Hathaway, Rosemary V. “The Unbearable Weight of Authenticity.” Journal of American Folklore 117 (2004): 168-90. Heard, Matthew. “Dancing is dancing, no matter who is doing it.” College Literature 34 (2007): 129-57.McKnight, Maureen. “Discerning Nostalgia in Zora Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Southern Quarterly (2007). Wright, Richard. "Between laughter and tears." New Masses (1937): 22-23.