Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Race and Gender in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston

This work is a study of Zora Neale Hurston and provides a thorough examination of her full body of work. A number of earlier critics have concluded that Hurston capitulated to external demands, writing stories white people wanted to hear. The author argues, however, that Hurston’s response to her situation was much more sophisticated than her detractors have recognized. The author suggests, in fact, that Hurston’s work constitutes an extended critique of the values of white culture and a rejection of white models for black people. Repeatedly, Hurston’s work shows the diverse effects that traditional white values, including class divisions and gender imbalances, have on blacks. While Hurston openly criticized white culture in letters, in articles for black publications, and in the manuscript version of her autobiography, her attack is most indirect in her work.