Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) is a novel by African American author Zola Neale Hurston. While it was poorly received when published, it is now one of the most celebrated American novels of the 20th century.
In this excerpt, Hurston conveys her own cultural experiences by her use of dialect. The way she portrays Tea Cake's speech shows her personal experiences as a black woman living in the Southern U. S. during this time period.