FROM FOLKLORE TO FAITH: CULTURAL SYNCRETISM IN JONAH'S GOURD VINE

Abstract

From Folklore to Faith: Cultural Syncretism in Jonah's Gourd Vine explores the interaction of folklore, religion, and cultural identification in Zora Neale Hurston's novel Jonah's Gourd Vine. The paintings examines how Hurston blends African American spiritual practices, African history, and Southern folklore to create a narrative that reflects cultural syncretism. By analyzing the symbolic significance of the gourd vine, the protagonist’s spiritual adventure, and the fusion of various notion systems, the study highlights the unconventional’s portrayal of complex cultural negotiations. Hurston’s paintings serves as a wealthy textual content for knowledge the methods wherein African American communities navigate and reshape their identification through spiritual and cultural lenses, in the end illustrating the energy of folklore in shaping religion and social dynamics.