Hurston‘s famously (i)____ novel is a story of a young black woman‘s search for love, spiritual liberation, physical satisfaction. She invokes the symbol of the mule to characterize
black women‘s (ii)___ condition: worked to death, yet strong enough to carry impossible loads. Though Hurston was loudly criticized, especially by her black male contemporaries, for (iii)___ white stereotypes of African Americans, there‘s no denying that her romantic tale was the first to allow a black woman a more complex existence than that traditionally afforded her in either literature or life.
Blank (i) |
Blank (ii) |
Blank (iii) |
overweening |
precarious |
assaulting |
unpretentious |
soothing |
detracting |
grandiloquent |
delectable |
reinforcing |
It is clear that Hurston's novel has been characterized in a positive sense. As her novel tells a story that has been described as symbol for "love", "satisfaction" etc. Overweening means excessive pride and grandiloquent meas extravagance. "Unpretentious" means authentic in this context.
Hurston has presented the novel in a such a way that showcase black women's struggle as they worked painful laborious tasks, but still resilient. The blank here should match with dangerous or painful - precarious works best.
Lastly, there is a negative side of her novel. This negative side is among the African American men who have accused her of enabling long held stereotypes of black women. The only blank that could match the idea is "reinforcing". She won't be criticized for retracting the stereotype and soothing the stereotype don't make sense.
The latter part of the last sentence, though provides the contrast, acts as an appurtenance to the whole passage as I did not need it to answer the question.