本論文探討美國黑人女作家佐拉・尼爾赫斯頓如何在她的小說《他們眼望上蒼》中以女性主義的視角出發，構建黑人文化身份。这本小说描繪女主人公珍妮・克勞福德在經歷三段婚姻後，從不諳世事的黑人女孩最終成長為獨立自主的黑人女性。同時，赫斯頓也栩栩如生地刻畫出珍妮三位性格迥異的黑人丈夫。除了對珍妮實行父權主義壓迫之外，他們也反映了幾種不合理的構建黑人文化身份的方式。因此，小說不仅关心黑人女性的议题，还提供了一個觀察美國黑人身份危機的窗口。基于以上对小说内容的观察，本文將探究赫斯頓如何通過珍妮的成長歷程來表達自己對黑人文化身份以及黑人女性主體性建構的理解。
這篇論文首先將《他們眼望上蒼》放在黑人女性主義批評的話語中考察，指出其揭露黑人婦女雙重他者的身份和呼籲黑人女性獨立的功能。論文還指出，這部小說透過對不同黑人角色性格和行为的細膩描寫，尖銳點出壓迫性的白人文化價值觀對黑人文化身份建構的破壞性作用。因此，以斯圖亞特・霍爾的文化身份理論為借鑒，本文論證了赫斯頓如何以超越時代的視角對構建黑人文化身份提出自己的見解。 她认为，黑人民俗文化和黑人历史是黑人文化身份建构的源泉。同时，尊重其他民族文化，倡导多元文化的和谐共存，也是黑人文化身份不可缺少的因素。

The thesis investigates Zora Neale Hurston’s feminist vision on constructing black cultural identity in Their Eyes Watching God. The novel portrays the black female protagonist, Janie Crawford, who grows from an unsophisticated black girl to an independent black woman after the three marriages. At the same time, Hurston vividly portrays Janie’s three black husbands with vastly different personalities. In addition to exercising patriarchal control over Janie, they reflect different problematic ways of constructing black cultural identity. Thus, while calling for black women’s independence and autonomy, the novel also offers a window to observe Black Americans’ identity crisis. Based on the above observations on the novel, this paper intends to explore how Hurston invests her understanding of black cultural identity and black female subjectivity through Janie's growth.
Situating Their Eyes in black feminist criticism first, the thesis notes its function on exposing black women’s identity of double otherness and calling for black women’s independence. The thesis also points out that through the descriptions of different black characters’ personalities and behaviors, the novel tellingly exposes the destructive function of the oppressive white values on the construction of black cultural identity. With the help of Stuart Hall’s theory of cultural identity, the thesis demonstrates Hurston’s progressive tendency to construct black cultural identity. She believes that black folkloric culture and black history are the sources of black cultural identity construction. Also, respecting other ethnic cultures and advocating the harmonious coexistence of multi-culture are indispensable factors for black cultural identity.

Introduction ---------- 1
I. Hurston’s literary career ---------- 2
II. Review of Critical Approaches to Their Eyes Were Watching God ------- 6
III. The Thesis’s Line of Inquiry ------------- 11
IV. Chapters Overview --------- 18

Chapter One: The “Nameless Pain” — Black Cultural Identity Crisis ------- 21
I. The Identity Crisis of Black Americans ----------- 21
II. Logan Killicks: A Mule-like Man with Historical Trauma ---- 25
III. Joe Starks: A White Soul under the Black Skin ------------ 29
IV. Tea Cake: A “New” Black Male with Unstable Blackness ------ 36

Chapter Two: The Enlightenment of Janie's Journey ------------- 42
I. “Double Otherness” of Black Women -------------------------- 45
A. Nanny: A Victim and Accomplice of Male Domination ---------- 46
II. Janie: An “Emergent Heroine” in the White Patriarchal Society ------- 50
A. Janie’s Liberation from the Shackles of Marriages ---------- 50
B. A Black Female Vision on Constructing Black Cultural Identity -------- 58
C. Janie’s Fulfillment of Black Cultural Identity and Female Independence ---------- 69
Conclusion ------------ 74
Works Cited ----------- 77

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