In what ways could Wallace's theory be applicable to their eyes were watching god?
Hurston's novel "Their Eyes were Watching God" follows Janie a black woman in the South of America in the early 1900's, who survives through a troublesome life in the still racist and sexist South of the US. In correlation with David Foster Wallace's piece "This is Water", whose main thesis is to be your own person, don't have to adjust to the normal stereotypes of society but through your own life experiences create an image of what life should be in your eyes and make your own choices in life.
More in depth "their eyes were watching god" follows Janie Crawford through her life's story where she sets of to find true love, which she has been told from the Nanny that it comes after marriage. After two failed marriages where she hasn't found true love, with ugly and old Logan Killicks, then with power hungry Joe "Jody" Starks who died because of kidney issues, she found true love in a much younger man called Tea Cake who treated her with respect she demanded, because although she was a black woman in the South of America she is a strong, empowering and even though the stereotype was to punish women and that men are superior to women, Janie stood out of that stereotype, which is applicable to Wallace's main theory that life is about choice and abut living your own life without restrictions. Tea Cake to Jamie was Romeo to Juliet, a man that she loved with all her heart and even though at the end she ended up killing her true love from all that life experience she had had she felt absolved and emotionally intelligent. Throughout all her three marriages she becomes more self-aware about life in general and the evils of society as it was in the 1900's in the South.
The commencement speech that was given by David Foster Wallace ensured in my belief that even though life is full of stereotypes if you follow your own choices and become aware in situations that most people are foreign to you can live a life of happiness and not judge other people on their situations, which Zora Neale Hurston also concurs with TEWWG novel.
I agree with the point made about the correlation between both texts, but I believe your argument may have been strengthened through further evidence on expanding on the applicability of Wallace's theory in TEWWG. There is an understanding of the link between the texts, well done.
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