The bee and the pear tree is a big and probably most obvious symbol in the book Their Eyes Were Watching God. This is probably the biggest symbol in the whole book because all Janie really ever wanted was what the bee and the pear tree had. What Janie loved most about the bee and the pear tree was that they were always, it seemed to be, in perfect harmony with each other.(Hurston, 11) She also loved how they relied on each other as well. It was evident that the bee needed the tree and tree needed it. Without them both there is no harmony. All Janie wanted was to find someone that she really loved so that their relationship could be like the bee's and the tree's relationship. At the end of the book though Janie really does find that relationship with Tea Cake. The fact that she lived out her dream of having that tree to bee relationship is the point of the story.
Just because the pear tree and the bee was a big symbol in the story, does not mean that it is the only symbol. Another symbol that is still very important is the mule. Jody and his friends would sit on the porch and laugh and make jokes. Normally Janie wanted to participate, but the men began to annoy the nearby mule and mistreat it. Janie was very upset by this and went off on the men for being that way.(Hurston, 56) This is an important symbol because Janie can relate to the mule. Like the mule, she too has been through hardships. This also refers back to what Nanny said at the beginning of the book. Nanny stated that black women were the mules of the world. After that Jody bought the mule and they sent the mule off to go spend the rest of his days not working. Those I think are the two most important symbols in the book.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.
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