Self Actualization Through the Eyes of St. Augustine and Zora Neale Hurston

Abstract

“Know thyself!” -- The journey of self-discovery is a critical road every human must walk if he wants to live a full and fruitful life. In Confessions, St. Augustine discusses his yearning for deeper understanding of joy and pleasure as his worldly desires were not enough. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie struggles with allowing others to define her rather than her defining herself. Both characters grapple with imposed expectations their external experiences place on them, finding no satisfying answers. St. Augustine and Hurston examine how the world places constraints on self-actualization and follow the journey of coming to define oneself regardless of past experiences. Focusing on the suffering necessary for such a transformation, St. Augustine and Hurston demonstrate how the search for self within a tumultuous world leads to a complex and deeper understanding of life. The search for knowledge must begin at the individual level as self-actualization allows for a clearer understanding of the rest of the world.