This work has two main goals. The first is to analyze the construction of the female identity of the main character of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. In order to do that, the first chapters bring the readers closer to the main aspects that will be further discussed by presenting the author, Zora, her work, and, last but not least, the historical moment in the United States during the period of the African-American cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. The second goal is to analyze the translation of the novel, Seus Olhos Viam Deus, to Brazilian Portuguese pointing out the translation turn, crossroads and obstacles that the translator have faced. By doing this, this work aims to present solutions that may be used in future translations to Brazilian Portuguese of works by African-American writers.