a prominent image in their eyes were watching god is that of resurrection. janie resurrects herself from the silence of submission to male authority and oppression after joe's death. from an early age janie was forced to accept the woman's place as lower and submissive to men, partly due to the culture of the time and largely due to the inculcation of the idea of submission and acceptance by her grandmother. after violently hitting janie for refusing to marry a man whom janie does not love, her grandmother laments the female position in society: "so de white man throw down de load and the de nigger man tuh pick it up. he pick it because he have to, but he don't tote it. he hand it to his womenfolks. the nigger woman is de mule us de world so fur as ah can see." the combination of violence and affection are sufficient to confuse janie, who responds with silent acquiescence to the status quo. it is joe's demise that leads to janie's resurrection in the novel. after his death, she is released from the fetters of conformity and submission to oppressive authority figures, both patriarchal and matriarchal. she symbolically burns all of her head scarves that joe forced her to wear, and she proudly displays her beautiful hair. she admits to feelings of anger and hatred at her grandmother who "twisted her so in the name of love." she begins to laugh at the absurd advice she has always been given about love, marriage, and the need for a man to take care of a woman. by the end of chapter 9, like the phoenix, janie's former self is resurrected from the ashes of the past, and she embraces her new freedom and individuality.
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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston constantly gives examples that richer people in society look down apon poorer people as a waste of life. For example, Janie's second husband, Jody would not feed Janie and her children and would beat them. He treated them as if they were nothing to the world. Jody also disrespected the less welthy people in the village around him. After he built up their village he just treated them like nothing, and they could not do anything about it because he gave them everything they had. Her first husband, Logan, also ended up mistreating her because she was an african american woman, and was not as wealthy as he was.
Women throughout history have been oppressed and ruled by men. They were expected to follow males around like “de mules uh de world” to express their love for their husbands. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie’s struggle to find real love, without the abuse that women of that time period commonly faced, unfolds.
A mule is an animal used for hard, physical labor. Its master typically does not take excellent care of the mule because they take the animal for granted, even though they probably wouldn’t be able to survive without it. Men of the Harlem Renaissance (the time period in which Their Eyes Were Watching God is set), as well far before that, acted much the same to their wives as a master would to its mule. As Janie’s grandmother “Nanny” explained, “So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man to pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see” (Hurston 14). Although during the Harlem Renaissance black art and literature flourished and ideas of equality amongst blacks and whites were being spread, African American women were still pushed away from the rights they deserved. Their husbands allotted them their rights (or lack thereof), ranging from what they could wear, their freedom of speech, and where (and if) they worked. Janie became subject to all these declarations. Her second husband, an entrepreneur named Joe “Jody” Starks, forced her to hide her beautiful hair with head rags, keep her opinions to herself and not make any sort of public speech and work in the town store. Women, including Janie, put up with this sort of oppression because it was culturally acceptable for men to be leaders in society.
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All of Janie’s husbands displayed the leadership roles Janie could not express due to her gender. Her first husband, Logan Killicks, becomes angered when Janie does not act as his mule by hauling firewood inside their house. He complained, “If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside” (Hurston 25). Logan’s expectance of Janie to follow his every order alludes to Nanny’s reference of women being mules of the world. Logan did not love Janie; he just viewed her as property, much like a master values his mule. Joe Starks, Janie’s second husband, displays the most obvious leadership position of her three husbands as the mayor of Eatonville. When he made a speech to formally open the town shop, it was obvious he controlled the entire community. Then, when Tony Taylor suggested that Janie should make a speech congratulating her husband on becoming mayor, Joe cut him off by saying, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (Hurston 40-41). Joe did not just have control over Eatonville; he held an iron grip over Janie as well. Tea Cake Woods, Janie’s third and final husband, exerted his force over Janie in a different way than her two previous husbands; he used his love for her as an excuse to tell her what to do. While Logan and Joe only looked out for themselves, Tea Cake acted as if he only controlled her because he loved her. An example of this wrongly acquired leadership would be when he beat Janie because he was angry that Mrs. Turners’ brother showed interest in her. Tea Cake did not beat Janie because she gave him a reason to be jealous, but because he wanted to prove to Mrs. Turners’ brother that Janie was his, much like a master brands a mule. It was culturally acceptable, and even expected, at the time for a man to show possession of his wife by beating her. Hurston explained, “Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss” (Hurston 140). Because Janie loved Tea Cake, she allowed him to beat her. Even though she allowed it, Tea Cake’s beating hurt her far more than skin-deep. She must have felt similar to an animal whose seemingly kind master beats it for the first time.
After facing constant abuse, any animal is bound to die. In Eatonville, for example, Matt Bonner’s mule died shortly after he was freed from his neglectful master. Although many Eatonville citizens celebrated the mule’s life and held a grand funeral for it, the poor creature was still pecked to pieces by buzzards. Janie, being compared to a mule throughout the novel, could even be compared to it in its death. Janie encounters several “deaths” throughout the novel, whether they be figurative or literal. When she first marries Logan, Janie’s girlish innocence dies. Examples of literal deaths that she faces would be Joe and Tea Cake dying. During each of these instances, and many others, people attack her with gossip and harsh words. When Janie complains of her unhappy first marriage, her grandmother scolds her for being ungrateful. After Joe’s death, she is accused of not mourning properly and for long enough. Most tragically of all, when she is forced to shoot Tea Cake, her friends and neighbors accuse her of having an affair. In each of these instances, the gossipers are buzzards picking apart what remains of Janie’s happiness. When one is beaten down by others, it is only a matter of time until only their “bones” are left.
A great part of every nations past, or present, involves women being of less importance in contrast to men. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neal Hurston, demonstrates the struggle that came with being a woman among a man who felt he was in control. During the early 20th century, women were given little rights compared to men and they were mistreated just for being a women. Many thought that without men, women could not function. In this novel, Janie's grandmother agrees with this statement which is where Janie's problems begin. "'Uh woman by herself is uh pitiful thing,' she was told over and again. 'Dey needs aid and assistance. God never meant 'em tuh try tuh stand by theirselves. You ain't been used tuh knockin' round and doin' fuh yo'self, Mis' Starks. You been well taken keer of, you needs uh man'" (pg. 90, Hurston). Even though many thought women were dependent on men, men were more dependent on women. Janie's first husband, Logan Killicks, is dependent on Janie to assist him on his chores for his large piece of land. Logan wants Janie to be independent and do some of the work on her own, however, Janie feels her place is in the kitchen; Janie is of no importance to Logan. Janie's second husband, Joe Starks, is dependent on Janie for his shop and daily functions. Joe examines Janie as a nonintellectual being who is with him for his purposes only. Joe has complete control over Janie in everything she does and Janie, more often then not, allows him to control her. Janie's third and final husband, Tea Cake, is dependent on Janie for his own comfort. Tea Cake beats Janie for his own convenience of letting Mrs. Turner and her brother know that Janie is his. Tea Cake beats Janie only for his own pleasure of feeling secure. The influence of the reoccurring thought that women cannot do anything without men dominates many of the actions that take place in Janie's life. The need to be with a man affects a large portion of Janie's decisions. Janie wants to be independent however because of her surrounding peers who believe that women do need men, she believes and follows the same thought.
Throughout Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes were Watching God", we see two main themes. The first theme that is shown is perserverence. Throughout the entire novel, Janie tries to create a better life for herself. She didnt like living with her grandmother, so she got married, however, the marriage was treateing her badly. rather than give into the life she was living, she tried to find a new life with her second husband, Joe Starks. Yet again, the marriage does not work out for her. She feels that Joe doesn't treat her properly. She doesn't give up her dream of living a happy life, rather she marries Tea Cake after Joe dies. Tea Cake is the husband she has been looking for, and they live happily in the Florida Everglades. Furthermore, when their home is destroyed by a hurricane, they do the best they can to fix it and find work. The second theme that is shown is that bad things happen to good people. All Janie wants is to live a happy life and to be recognized as a person, not a wife or property. She does everything in her power to lead a good life, but everything she does goes wrong. Janies first two marriages do not go well. Then, when she thinks she has found a settled situation with Tea Cake, a hurricane destroys their home. During the hurricane, Tea Cake is bitten by a ad dog, which ultimately kills. The life that Janie lives is similar to that of the life of Chris Gardner, the main character in the movie "The Pursuit of Happiness." Chris tries to break away from a life as a poor african-american man by becoming an intern for an investment agency. However, Everything that chris tries or does goes wrong. He loses his wife, just like Janie loses her husbands. I think that the reason Hurtson made these the two main themes was to teach readers that women are equal to men, and to never give up the dream of a perfect life.
-Carey Neff
Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, one aspect of the novel that stood out to me was the use of dialogue. The use of dialogue made it possible for the reader to picture the novel in their head. Zora Neale Hurston did this by writing the dialogue in the way the people would have actually said it back then. For example when someone was talking in the novel the word would be pronounced “dem”, but when Janie was thinking, the word would be pronounced “them”. This allowed the reader to have more of a feel for the time period and a better understanding of how the people used to act and speak. By using this dialogue, the writer also enhanced the setting, imagery, and characters in the novel. The dialogue gave more life to the scenarios, gave more depth to the characters, and made it possible for the reader to actually be standing right next to the main character in the novel. When Zora Neale Hurston decided to use this type of dialogue, it allowed the reader to get a better understanding of the characters themselves, but to also identify the different social levels. For instance when a white person spoke, their grammar was better and they had more schooling, but when a black person spoke, they didn’t have very good grammar and had less schooling. The reader can then defer that the black people in the novel were in a lower social class back then and that the novel was in the time period just after slavery. This allows them to build on their knowledge of the setting and also helps them gain a better understanding of the novel itself.
Throughout history, it is easy to see women being oppressed. Since women were always seen as lesser beings when compared to men, they adopted the feeling. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the author depicts a woman, Janie, allowing men and the society she lives in to rule her life and learning to have no say in how she lives.
From her very first days, Janie was told not to expect to do great things because of her skin color and gender. Janie's grandmother explains to Janie that "de nigger woman is de mule uh de world" (Hurston 14). Right before being let out into the world, Janie's dreams are crushed, for she is expected to do what she is told and be subordinate to her husband.
After being told her situation by her grandmother, Janie experiences her husband ruling her life. Joe constantly insults Janie and "time came when she fought back with her tongue as best she could, but it didn't do her any good" (Hurston 71). As the result of numerous failures when trying to stand up for herself, "she pressed her teeth together and learned to hush" (Hurston 71). Janie's submission to Joe shows the way the majority of women gave up their voices to their husbands at this time. These women are just as much responsible for being "de mules of de world" by accepting to be dominated by male authority as is the early 1900's southern society that forced them there .
In Their Eyes Were Watching God the author, Zora Neale Hurston uses very strong symbolism throughout her book. For example, the pear tree and the horizon symbolize what Janie wants and how far she is from getting what she wants. The pear tree represents what Janie wants because when she was under the tree she saw how the bee acted with the flower it pollinated. Janie wanted to experience something as beautiful as nature and the creatures in nature. Throughout the book Janie is looking for that special moment with her husbands, family, and friends. The Horizon represents how far away Janie is from having that special moment like she witnessed under the pear tree. As the book goes along and Janie is telling her story she is getting closer to the horizon and to experiencing the moment she always wanted. By the end of the book Janie realizes she has experienced that moment with her grandmother, her friends, and her husbands. At the end of the book Janie has reached the horizon and experienced the moment she wanted to just like when she saw it for the first time under the pear tree.
Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, there are several instances witnessed by the reader of the unfair treatment of women in the 20th century. From the very beginning, we are able to see the stereotype of how a woman should marry young, and how they should marry for their protection, not for love. In the beginning of the book, Nanny wants Janie to marry Logan Killicks, because he has seventy acres of land, and could protect her. After Janie marries him, she is able to see how unhappy Logan makes her, because he expects her to always be in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, and such. After she leaves him for Joe, she thinks she is so happy, and in love. However, Joe still treats her as a minority, because she is a woman. He forces her to keep her long hair tied up all the time, so as none of the other men in the town can look at it or touch it when she is in the store. Joe also makes her work in the store nonstop, and does not allow her to partake in the conversations that occur on the porch, because he finds her comments unnecessary, although he says it is because she should not converse with the low class people who are there. When Joe dies, and Tea Cake comes into her life, we see a change in the way she is treated. She is finally treated as an equal by the main man in her life, and is not treated as an idiot because of her sex. These occurrences show the reader how in the beginning of Janie’s life, she is treated as just a woman, someone who is worthless, to being treated as though she really is important.
Men are stronger. Men are smarter. Men belong outdoors with their wives in the kitchen. These beliefs were present in the minds of everyone, men and women, in early America. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God," a novel by Zora Hurston these beliefs shape Janie Crawford's life. Janie's grandmother pushes the belief that a woman needs a man to take care of her. As in, without a man a woman would be lost in life. Going by this belief, Janie ends up in an unhappy marriage, followed by another unhappy marriage. Both of these men were controlling and acted as if Janie was too delicate to do anything, but light work. Janie's second husband, Mr. Stark, criticizes all of her efforts,acting like their just never quite good enough. The relief she felt when Jody (Mr. Stark) died, proved their was never any real love between them. Jody was just the proprietor of Janie. After Jody's death, Tea Cake came into her life. Finally she had found her true love. He was the only man to ever treat her like a human being, and let her do things that were "beneath her," or "too laborious for a woman." The only time Tea Cake treated Janie like a mule was when he whipped her just to prove she belonged to him. “Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss” (Hurston 140) The fact that men felt it necessary for women to appear as their property, shows the idea that women were second class citizens. Over the years women have earned more rights and proved their worthiness in this world. In conclusion, although women have been oppressed for centuries, equality amongst genders has almost been reached.
Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God makes the statement that the American Dream was unattainable for African Americans living in the Southern United States during the 1930's. The white southerners in society promised the African Americans futures bright with wealth, fame, and success- all they had to do is work hard, and do as the white southerners said. Many African Americans worked their entire lives at fruitless jobs in an effort to achieve their goals of equality and wealth, but they just kept moving in circles making little progress. The opening lines of this novel are: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time.” (Hurston, 1) The horizon is an imaginary line that recedes as one approaches it, and according to Zora Neale Hurston that is where men’s dreams lie. Zora Neale Hurston is saying in these lines that because dreams are on the horizon, no matter how far a man goes to chase his dream it will always be out of reach. This is especially true for the Southern African American community at this time because even though they had aspirations of equality and achieving all they had ever wanted, there would always be obstacles in their way. Thousands of African Americans just like Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods made their ways to the “Glades” in search of work and money. Tea Cake describes the “Glades” saying “folks don’t do nothin’ down there but make money and fun and foolishness.” (Hurston 128) However, Tea Cake and Janie move to the Glades only to find that they would live in a cramped filthy shack while Tea Cake picked beans for his white “boss man.” One day in the Glades, Janie goes to visit with her neighbor Mrs. Turner. They come to discuss Booker T. Washington. Many African Americans despised Booker T Washington because he encouraged the members of the African American society to just accept their situations and assimilate into the society the white population had created. Booker T Washington was a wealthy man and he commanded the respect of African Americans and White Americans alike, so in a way he was a device of the White American society. Many African Americans looked at Booker T and decided that if they were to accept their circumstances and follow the White Americans’ rules, they too could be as respected and influential as he was; Booker T Washington had his own place on the horizon. In this way, the White Americans were able to use Booker T Washington as a mechanism to get African Americans to mold to the White Americans’ ideals. Mrs. Turner makes the comment: “He [Booker T. Washington] didn’t do nothin’ but hold us back- talkin’ ‘bout work when de race ain’t never done nothin’ else. He wuz uh enemy to us, dat’s what. He wuz uh white folks n*gger.” (Hurston 142) Mrs. Turner is remarking on how the African American people have worked incessantly but they are still on the lower levels of the social order. The African Americans cannot achieve their dreams of wealth and success because of the obstacles such as the Jim Crow laws and other racist ideas that the White Americans put in their way. A theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God is dream realization, and the author Zora Neale Hurston raises the idea that the White Society deliberately put hindrances in the way of African Americans achieving their dreams so they could use the African Americans’ hard work and determination as a means for personal gain.
Zora Neale Hurston is saying that idealizing in relationships is setting oneself up for disappointment when reality comes to terms. When one expects a perfect relationship, one is all too often forced to settle for less because their dreams are never met. They cannot reach their dreams because they are too far out of reach from the grasp of reality. In the novel Their Eyes were Watching God, Janie suffers the disillusionment of her fantasies about her relationships. She lets herself dream about the perfect man coming into her life. Even when she thinks she is marrying Joe because she loves him, her dreams are torn down because she realizes “it was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that is never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams.” (Hurston 72). Janie figures out that she never really loved Joe and that he was “just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over.” (Hurston 72) She allows herself to dream the perfect relationship will come out of her marriage to Joe. But she is let down time and time again, and there are consequences that can come out of this. Fantasizing the ideal relationship, only leads to the disillusionment of one’s dreams because these fantasies are fantasies that never come true.
Disillusionment runs opposite to dream realization. Dream realization is a moment when one recognizes their dreams are coming true. Janie realizes her chances of finding a perfect relationship are very slim when she tries to make her first two unsuccessful marriages work. Not only does she realize that her marriages are not what she expected, she is forced to kill her third husband, Tea Cake. Janie never has a moment of dream realization because she recognizes that her fantasies are out of reach and the illusion of perfect happiness is left behind.
"I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, I found out three things: First, the streets were not paved with gold. Second, they weren't paved at all. Third, I was expected to pave them," an Italian immigrant once said. Immigrants of the 19th and 20th centuries were told of the great wealth and power they would gain by moving to America. However, upon arrival they were told that they had to work hard at very tedious jobs. A parallel can be drawn from this treatment of immigrants to the comment that Zora Neale Hurston makes on southern, white society trying to keep African Americans down in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
At the time of freeing slaves, many whites told African Americans that they could reach the same success as the whites as long as they worked hard. This deceives the freed slaves into doing the jobs that none of the whites wanted to do. Day after day the freed African Americans would work in fields, doing jobs such as picking beans like Janie and Tea Cake. These jobs rarely led to the same wealth that white southerners found. Janie’s whole town worked in those fields. Yet, they remained living in a town that was not as prosperous as others. While these African Americans worked at menial jobs, the white southerners did the jobs that they found interesting. Just as the people already settled in America left the unwanted jobs to the immigrants.
Many African Americans wanted to assimilate with the whites, and believed what the whites said about reaching wealth and power. Booker T. Washington was one of these people who encouraged the African Americans to keep working at their jobs to find success. Some African Americans grew tired. As Mrs. Turner says of Booker T. Washington, “He didn’t do nothin’ but hold us back- talkin’ ‘bout work when de race ain’t never done nothin' else. He wuz uh enemy tuh us, dat’s whut. He wuz uh white folks’ nigger,” (Hurston 136) people began to resent him. At the time of immigration, settled Americans began to refer to the country as a melting pot where people from all over the world could live and work together. Yet, so many of them continued to oppress the immigrants, just as the white southerners continued to oppress the African Americans.
What the African Americans and immigrants mainly have in common is the fact that they were the minorities of free America. Although immigrants chose to come here, they did not choose to be subjugated by those already settled here for their differences. Immigrants came to America to find religious freedom and freedom of speech, not to be kept down due to their differences ancestry. African Americans were forced to come to America and work for the whites. However, after slavery was abolished, the freed slaves were promised better, more prosperous lives. Instead they found themselves toiling over jobs that barely make them money, while their old white masters continue to feel powerful. African Americans and immigrants both find themselves being dominated by the white Americans. Americans promise these minorities freedom and success, deluding them to the jobs that wealthy, white Americans feel they should not have to do.
Zora Neale Hurston, in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, explores the dynamics of southern African American community during the 1930’s. This community deals with degradation inflicted by white southern society at the time. It also suffers much strife from conflicts for supremacy, social classification and segregation as well as racism founded on skin tone and other anatomical features. The reason the community encounters all these difficulties can be explained by the way the African American populace mimicked white society.
Jody Starks’ personal struggle for dominion over the citizens of Eatonville and his own wife inhibits their growth. They are united under one leader, however most are uneducated and rely solely on Starks for expansion of Eatonville. He kept Janie down by forcing her to wear the headscarf in order to pacify his jealousy and enforce obedience in her. Such an action is comparable to the behavior of white slave-owners, who took measures to degrade and break their human property into submission. Envy among Eatonville’s citizens also creates tension between those with money, such as Janie herself, and those who did not: “…Us colored folks is too envious of one ’nother. Dat’s how come us don’t git no further than us do…Us keeps our own selves down.” (Hurston 39) The town engages in competition and petty quarrels, preventing them from uniting, making progress and fighting the oppressive white regime in the south.
Hurston also touches upon the racism within the community, another dividing factor, through Mrs. Turner, who staunchly believes in superiority of those who appear more Caucasian: “She felt honored by Janie’s acquaintance and she quickly forgave and forgot snubs in order to keep it. Anyone who looked more white folk-ish than herself was better than she was in her criteria, therefore it was right that they should be cruel to her at times, just as she was cruel to those more negroid than herself…Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can’t…It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity (the whites)…All gods who receive homage are cruel…” (Hurston 144). Mrs. Turner reveres White Americans and views them as a near equivalent to god, while she considers her own people to be lesser. Such open displays of racism and hate within a community only separates and creates rage. This is owed to the maltreatment suffered at the hands of whites, and Mrs. Turner is only mirroring the hate felt by those of European descent.
Other elements of the flawed society instituted by White Americans are mimicked as well. Fear is instilled by the white man’s cruelties and by those in the African American community who hold power in order to exercise the same control the white men exercise over them. Fear has been shown to separate individuals rather than unify them. The relationship of the powerless to those with power is ruled by fear and wonder and because of this, the whites continued to control African Americans. This was the aim of early 1900’s white society: to exclude the blacks so as to oppress them and keep them from the work force or rising through the classes to any form of success because of the threat of losing land, jobs and ultimately, money. The negative aspects of the black community seemed to form the way that they did because of the influences of White Americans, rather than in spite of it. Around this time in history, many African Americans were migrating to different parts of the country to seek higher paying jobs and better lives for their families. It would prove advantageous to white communities to keep blacks uneducated and poor to prevent them from taking jobs White Americans felt were rightfully theirs. Under threat of economic equality, the White Americans forced the African Americans to emulate their own ideals of competition and racism in order to keep them divided and therefore unable to attain progress until the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement twenty to thirty years later
In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, the protagonist Janie struggles through poverty, death, sorrow, and ultimately discovering herself. Her journey toward enlightenment brings her to achieve a strong sense of self and independence. The author is portraying that to find one’s independence, relationships are necessary. She does not take this journey alone; relationships with mutual trust and respect are necessary for a fulfilling life. Her first and second marriages do not accomplish this goal, but her third marriage advances Janie to a new kind of freedom that can help her attain her dreams that seemed unreachable. She is searching for a deep fulfillment, both physical and passionate, which leads to a connection with the world around her. While married to Logan Killicks, she is naïve and wonders if “marriage [compels] love like sun the day” (Hurston 21). However, she soon realizes that “marriage [does] not make love... [her] first dream was dead.” (Hurston 25). When she meets Jody Starks, her second husband, she thinks that he has something more to offer because he “[speaks] for far horizon... for change and chance.” (Hurston 29). The horizon represents the realm of possibilities and imagination; the ideal life that Janie dreams of, not the life she has. Oppressed by Jody and his overwhelming rule over her, his death somewhat liberates her and marks a turning point that brings about her inner strength. Meeting Vergible “Tea Cake” Woods allows her to see the kind of relationship she is looking for; Tea Cake seems to be the one that can bring her to the horizon and help her find herself. She becomes secure in her independence through her deep connection to Tea Cake. All three relationships, the pleasant and unpleasant, are vital to Janie’s quest for enlightenment and embody a prominent theme in the novel, female independence. Through liberating herself and finding a partner that complements her, Janie finally reaches the horizon.
One of the messages that Zora Neale Hurston conveys in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is that the white 1930’s society used unreachable dreams to get work out of the blacks. This book was written during a period that was all about the American Dream, the idea that with a lot of hard work and a little luck, anyone could become great. Many people, especially African Americans, believed this and did an enormous amount of work for the whites with little pay, getting nowhere. Yet still they worked, willingly participating in a system of legal slavery.
Another historical element that has strong ties to this concept is Booker T. Washington. He was a prominent black figure who proposed that the Negroes should assimilate with the white society, and championed hard work. Mrs. Turner believes that “He didn’t do nothin’ but hold us back, talkin’ about work when de race ain't done nothin’ else. He wuz uh enemy tuh us, dat’s whut. He wuz a white folk’s nigger.”(142). Booker T. was raised up to the height that he was by the whites, as another way to solicit work out of them.
This system has much in common with slavery from before the Civil War. So much, in fact, that nothing has changed from the days of slave plantations, except that the whites are now more deceptive. Blacks are still treated with a great prejudice, and they are still in fact enslaved, except instead of being held by chains, they were being held by their ambitions and goals. The whites still got work out of them, but instead of using a system of punishment, a system of false hope was put in place to convince the blacks to do their work. In a way, this is worse than physical punishment. Physical punishment decreases the amount of work someone can do. However, even an elderly man will do everything in his power to achieve his dreams.
As the famous comedian George Carlin once said, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the author expresses the dangers and consequences that can result from idealizing in relationships. The main character Janie was captivated at a young age by a pear tree “frothing with delight” (11) and she believed “this was a marriage” (11). This instilled in her a false dream of marriage, love, and happiness coexisting together and being almost synonymous. Therefore, when Janie was forced to marry Logan Killicks, she realized that in fact “marriage did not make love” (24) and it crushed her internally as her dream died. Her unattainable expectations always cause Janie to have to endure harsh disillusionment. Even when Janie ran away with Joe Starks, she had still realized how her unrealistic delusions were harming her. She held Joe at such a high esteem and expected so much of him; she expected a love like Romeo and Juliet. Therefore, when he was unable to live up to her ideal standards, she was so disappointed and unable to see many of the positive things he provided for her. Joe was often aggravated that Janie never noticed “much as [he] done fuh [her]” (81) and she always would “blame everything on [him]” (81). However, Janie’s disappointment was her own fault because she had “run off tuh keep house wid [Joe] in uh wonderful way”(82) but the experience did not go as she planned, for Joe was “just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over”(68), “her image of [him] tumbled down and shattered”(68). Janie’s constant dreaming and delusions caused her the pain of enduring the fact that her reality would never be able to match them.
Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the treatment of women is a major theme. Examples of women being treated as objects are evident all throughout the book. Janie Crawford, the main character, is subjected to all the hardships of being a woman during her relationships with men. Each of Janie’s relationships is different from the last, but they all are similar in the aspect that Janie is not treated as an equal by any of her lovers. Janie’s strong sense of self and independence, however, is also a theme in this book, because she symbolizes how strong a woman can be, and how women can resist being suppressed and dominated by men in their lives.
Logan Killicks is Janie’s first husband. Janie is a young girl of about sixteen when her grandmother insists that she marries Logan Killicks, a local farmer. Her grandmother values financial stability and social status more than she values love, and she arranges Janie’s marriage. Logan Killicks treats Janie like a princess, and pampers her for the first year of marriage until he wants her to work on his farm. Killicks treats Janie like a housekeeper or farm hand rather than loving her like he should love his wife. Killicks views her as his property, and says, “You aint got no particular place. Its wherever Ah need yuh” (Hurston, 31). When Logan starts treating Janie like she is an object and nothing more, Janie feels used and wants to escape the loveless marriage that has become a prison to her.
Janie’s second husband is a power-hungry, city man named Joe Starks. Janie meets Starks while still miserably married to Killicks. Starks flatters her and convinces her to come along with him and to become his wife. She agrees and leaves Logan. She feels free and independent when she leaves Logan, never turning back in regret. When Joe Starks becomes the Mayor of Eatonville, he starts trying to dominate Janie by ordering her around. He needs power to be happy and he tries to control everything and everyone. Throughout their relationship, the reader sees that Joe wants Janie to be more of a puppet for him, and to just look pretty and do what he wants, rather than for her to have her own freedom and independence. Joe controls Janie to such an extent that he won’t let her wear her hair down, because he feels that when other men admire her beauty, and his masculinity is threatened. Joe treats her as his property and offers her no respect or equality. Janie suffers silently, until she finally speaks out against him destroying his sense of power and security. Challenging him destroys his will to live and he soon becomes ill and dies. Janie’s independence and strong sense of self allows her to get over her grief quickly.
lola mandina part 2
Tea Cake is Janie’s third husband but her first true love. She meets him while she is mourning the loss of Joe Stark. Although she is still in mourning, she is no longer grieving, and she quickly opens up to new love. He treats her as an equal, makes her laugh and makes her feel youthful and beautiful again. Their relationship is more ideal because they are actually in love, but Tea Cake also does not treat her as an equal completely. Tea Cake is completely different than both her previous
“lovers”; Logan treated her as farm animal; Joe Starks tried to mute her; and Tea Cake jokes around with her and encourages her to be herself. However, he is not completely perfect. He harbors the same belief that women are a man’s property, even though he is as blatant. Sometimes Tea Cake will tell Janie something about “a woman’s place” when they talk, which subtly shows that he thinks women are not equal to men. The only time Tea Cake demonstrates that he thinks of Janie as an object is when he beats her to let Mrs. Turner’s brother know that Janie belongs to him. Tea Cake acts as a catalyst and helps Janie search for herself and find her own identity. By the end of the book, Tea Cake falls ill to rabies and when he goes into a rabid frenzy and attacks Janie, she shoots him. Because of Tea Cake, Janie is completely self- actualized, and although she grieves the loss of her one true love, she is her own woman, and is happy enough being independent.
Women were treated as objects in the late 1800s. Wives were expected to act as their husband’s property, to have no opinions and thoughts of their own. A wife’s purpose was to keep their husband content. Janie has a “womanly strength” even though she was suppressed, to some extent, by all the men in her life. She was strong enough to keep her own spirit and not be broken by the social norms of society.
Over time, the generations of African American culture has changed massively. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston creates her characters to describe this change from generation to generation. Growing up in the early 1900’s was hard for Janie, considering her nanny, who was born into slavery, raised her. The character of nanny exists to show how different Janie’s generation is from hers. The age bracket to experience slavery raised their children up differently to make sure their children do not experience what they have experienced in their past. Therefore, Janie was forced to marry not for love, but mostly for money or land. In the earlier generations, slaves found relationships and having children as their only escape from their awful lives, so Janie’s nanny wanted Janie to marry someone with money to give her the life she never had. Janie did not appreciate the way her nanny raised her and ended up having multiple husbands due to who had money and were convenient to marry. Her first marriage with Logan Killicks ends due to unhappiness. Her second marriage to Jody Starks also ends, because he was power hungry and his control over her overwhelmed her being. Her last husband “Tea Cake” Woods was one she actually loved, but it was a symbol that she killed him considering how unhappy every relationship made her. Relationships do not shape one’s identity, and society in general idealizes them to be happy.
Marrying at an adolescent age redeems that individual of a fun loving life they could have had. In turn, making said individual want to live the way they could not when betrothed. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie marries at sixteen to meet her grandmother’s demands, then marries again, still pubescent, to escape the first marriage. By the time her second power crazed husband, Joe Starks, dies of kidney failure, Janie is forty and wasted her whole younger days married to men who abused her time. Then, as if in miracle, Janie meets her true love, the fun and adventurous Tea Cake, who gives her something she never gained; A good time. Unlike young people like Tea Cake, Janie never had the opportunity to go out around the town on a Saturday night. She never was taken out dancing, never taught fun games like checkers, and never seen a world outside of domestication until she meets Tea Cake. Tea Cake gives Janie the fun life that she yearned, that her grandmother took away in protection. This makes Janie want to be with Tea Cake; he was the good time she was looking for, for so long. A short time before Janie and Tea Cake Marry, Hurston writes, “[Janie] Looking like some young girl, always in blue because Tea Cake told her to wear it.” This displays how Tea Cake makes Janie look and feel the young self she never had the opportunity to be while married to Killicks and Starks. Just like in the David Spade movie Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Janie finally is able to gain the adventurous adolescent life to grow on, just like Dickie learned how to grow from re-living his childhood.
-Molly Meller
The last African American generation to experience slavery wanted the opposite for their free children; so, they forced their children to marry for money and land instead of happiness and love. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God this concept was shown. After Janie has been married to Logan for a few months she still did not love him and so she told her grandmother, someone born into slavery. Instead of supporting Janie her grandmother replies “Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worrin’ me ‘bout love” (Hurston 23). Why would Janie’s grandmother say this? She doesn’t benefit from Janie's wealth. She is not Miss Killicks. But she was a slave at Janie’s age and had nothing, so to her happiness is wealth and being respected. Whereas Janie had been raised properly and didn’t even know she was black till the age of six. Since Janie had been content her whole life being unsatisfied was new to her when she married Logan. When she complains to her grandmother the reply she gets is filled with anger and confusion, “Got a house bought and paid for and sixty acres uh land right on de big road and . . . Lawd have mussy! Dat’s de very prong all us black women gits hung on. Dis love!” (Hurston 23) She says love as if is a nuisance, not a blessing like it is.
You can still see this pressure to live for money in African American society today. Rap artist, Lil’ Wayne says, “Got money and you know it take it out your pocket and show it” in his song “Got Money”. Even the title asks the question everyone wants to know. Do you have money? Another rap artist with similar views is P Ditty is his song, “It’s All About the Benjamin’s” Not only does the title say enough when it speaks of hundred dollar bills, he also says “Don’t let the melody intrigue you, cause I leave you, I’m only here for that green paper which lead you” We have gotten to a world where money matters more than love. It’s been that way since before 1937 when Their Eyes Were Watching God was published to today. This need for money comes because humans are convinced they need products to be happy. And to get products humans need money to buy them. This way of thinking is a way of manipulation big business use for their own gain. They convince people that their newest product is necessary for happiness and so people are willing to work for the company to get money in order to buy the products, those who can’t work, the poor, uneducated, and in 1937 women find other ways to get money. This manipulation was present in 1937 when people were convinced of needing a bigger house and car. Since it worked so well it’s still used today, you need and IPod, IPhone, and IPad to be happy. As well as a huge house, three cars, and a boat. In reality humans don’t need any of that to be happy. All you need you be happy is joy and love. So far the world is not changing, humans still want money, they still need possessions. But in this struggle for money and land are people really happy?
In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” author Zora Neale Hurston, illustrates that male dominance affects a woman not just physically, but also has a profound influence on her personality and character. Joe Starks is an educated black man and Janie’s second husband. After he and Janie move into Eatonville, Joe is appointed as the new mayor. He is not only feared by the citizens of Eatonville, but is feared by his subordinates and workers as well. Perhaps this is because he treats them with disdain and impertinence. Perhaps Joe became intoxicated with his own power. Joe felt that he somehow had the right to boss people around and was entitled to have his wishes obeyed. He abused his authority. Also, Joe feels that he is always right, regardless of the circumstances. That of course, translates to the way Joe treats his wife. Joe would be furious with Janie whenever she made a small mistake, whether it was at home, in public or at the store. If Janie cooked a meal for him that he didn’t like, he beat her. If she socialized with the public in any way, he beat her. If she made a minor error at the store, he beat her.
In the novel, the general store is the most powerful symbol of male dominance and the challenges women must face. For Janie, the store is a place of anxiety, nervousness, and confinement. Janie works at the store as a clerk. Even though Janie is the mayor’s wife, she is treated with virtually no respect. Joe forces her to hide her hair, which could be another example of his need to suppress her identity or to subjugate her. He does not want her to appear attractive to anyone else and is afraid that others might recognize her beauty and that she, finally feeling attractive and empowered, would find the courage to stand up to him or possibly leave him. Also, Joe does not let Janie talk or socialize with their customers in any way. He wants her to feel isolated and unworthy of company with decent people. He demonstrates to others that she should be treated like a second-class citizen. As long as she feels isolated and unworthy, he can control her.
Hardly anybody would be able to endure this emotional abuse; most would crack under the pressure. However most women of Janie’s era had to go through this abuse in their everyday lives. Joe pushes Janie to the breaking point. Then he berates her and punishes her for feeling the pain that he inflicted. Joe is the abuser but then claims that because Janie is expressing her pain she is abusing him, and claims that he’s the one who is being hurt. This is the sign of a true narcissist, a common trait for a dominant male.
After more than two decades of suffering under Joe’s iron fist, even enduring the humiliation on his deathbed, Janie was able to find true happiness. She burned all her head rags and let down her hair, demonstrating that she was now a confident, free, and independent woman.
Strength, whether physical or mental, can be a determining factor in a person’s quality of life. In the novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, the author, Zora Neale Hurston, provides a clear portrayal of this theme through the life of the main character, Janie. Throughout her life, she is pressured to succumb to the power of the “white race”, even through the actions of her own husband. Janie’s encounters with other characters in the novel shows the power of strength when facing this exact challenge.
Janie first exhibits the theme of strength during her second marriage to Joe Starks. Joe gradually becomes focused on obtaining one goal- to become prosperous and powerful. During the quest for this, however, Joe tries to overpower Janie and insists that she view herself superior to the other black members of the community. Joe’s search for power through strength is unappealing to Janie and she makes this known through her own thoughts. She describes the house that Joe built as “a gloaty, sparkly white” (Hurston 47). That fact that Joe painted the house white symbolizes the constant pressure Janie faces to treat whites as a superior race. She describes it as sparkly, showing that the white color appeals to people. However, her use of the word “gloaty” unveils Janie’s true feelings about the house. She sees the home as a symbol of haughtiness and smugness, which is distasteful to her. Next, the theme of strength appears through Janie’s conversations with Mrs. Turner. Mrs. Turner, a woman who prides herself upon her “white” features, becomes friends with Janie. She does this however, only because Janie’s hair and complexion resembles that of a white person’s. Mrs. Turner says, “Ah jus’ couldn’t see mahself married to no black man. It’s too many black folks already. We oughta lighten up de race,” (Hurston 140). Mrs. Turner’s lecture is another show of pressure that Janie must face. Mrs. Turner, a black woman like Janie, tries to persuade Janie to turn against their own race. This brings confusion and although it would be easier to follow the ways of Mrs. Turner, Janie uses strength to follow her own path. Though pressure comes mostly from those around her, Janie’s own features test the power of her strength, as well. Janie’s hair is straight and resembles that of a white person. At the start of the novel, the narrator describes her hair and says, “the men noticed the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist. It was a weapon against her strength,” (Hurston 2). Janie realizes that men are attracted to her hair and although she likes it too, it becomes an inconvenience as her life progresses. Men are attracted to only her “white” features, which presents a problem. Janie could embrace these features, however it would cause her to succumb to the ways of the white race. Instead, Janie adopts a sense of strength and ignores the men who try to court her merely for her looks. By the end of the novel Janie prevails as a strong black woman, who embraces the experiences in her life and how they have shaped her as a human being.
Zora Neale Hurston symbolizes strength through the thoughts and interactions of characters in her novel. In the end, strength determined whether these characters led successful or unproductive lives.
What exactly is in a voice if it can’t be heard? Whose voice does a person follow in life; their own or do they let other people speak for them? Zora Neale Hurston, in “Their Eyes were Watching God”, emphasizes the importance of individuals having their own voice. Janie’s Nanny tells Janie she is a woman and ready for marriage, marriage to Brother Logan Killicks. “The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, but Janie didn’t know how to tell Nanny that. She merely hunched over and pouted at the floor.” (Hurston, 14) A person’s voice needs to be supported by strength. If an individual gives their voice strength, then he gives his voice the power to speak out loud and let people hear him. When Janie married her first husband, Mister Killicks, she didn’t give her voice strength to be heard by him. Mister Killicks asked Janie to peel the potatoes for him while he was out buying a mule even a woman could handle. “He tagged on and swallowed to kill time but Janie said nothing except, “Ah’ll cut de p’taters fuh yuh. When yuh comin’ back?” (Hurston 27) Janie didn’t use her voice to protest against having to peel the potatoes and share her thoughts. She just obeyed the command she was given. Janie meets Joe Starks while Mister Killicks is away and elopes with Starks. Joe Starks seems like a perfect gentleman to the reader and Janie until he starts to be manipulative. Joe Starks says, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ’bout no speech- makin’.” (Hurston, 43) Starks didn’t even give Janie the chance to speak for herself at the time. Later, Janie praises Joe for his honorable deed of buying the mule which all the townsmen torture. After Janie is finished talking, Hambo says, “Yo’ wife is uh born orator, Starks. Us never knowed dat befo’. She put jus’ de right words tuh our thoughts.” (Hurston, 58) If Starks had given Janie the chance to talk more to other people and for herself, then people in town might have known how well she could speak on her own. Janie doesn’t use her voice to tell her Nanny, Mr. Killicks and Joe Starks what she wants to do in her life. Janie obeys the voices that speak for her and command her. A person needs to find their voice to speak up for themselves and make their own decisions. If an individual does not have a voice, then the people in their life like their parents, family, friends and colleagues will have control over their life. A voice with no power is just another voice out of a billion.
African Americans dehumanize other African Americans within black communities due to their financial positions. This statement is clearly displayed in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Most stories in previous generations have revolved around whites dehumanizing blacks; for example, the autobiography that tells the story of her enslaved life as an African American, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”. However, Hurston’s narrative captures the tension between blacks after their freedom was declared. The rich black citizens felt as though they were better than the poor and that the poor were wastes of lives. In the novel, when a poor woman, Mrs. Tony, begs for food for her and her starving family, the wealthy mayor, Mr. Sparks, “hardly looked at her measurements. He had seen them too often. He marked off a piece much smaller and sunk the lade in. Mrs. Tony all but fell to the floor in her agony,” (Hurston, 74). In other words, the wealthy of the black community care more about money than the starvation of human beings.
People with greater wealth have the tendency to see poorer people as a waste of life. This tendency can lead to power and success; but another destination is often discovered. Grief and loneliness walk hand and hand with the glamour of wealth.
In her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston shows how the rich, accomplished mayor of a black community called Eatonville, looks down upon the town’s lazy citizens. Joe Starks, the town’s mayor looks at the citizens and sees people who show no respect for themselves or their small amount of property. Joe benefits from his hard work and the author conveys that he has no tolerance for the ignorance of the rest of the community. Joe’s impatience is expressed when a woman, known by the town to be poor, strolls up to Joe’s store and begs him for something for her and her children to eat: “Starks hardly looked at her measurements. He had seen them too often. He marked off a piece much smaller and sunk the blade in. Mrs. Tony all but fell to the floor in her agony.” (Hurston 74) By considering his peers a waste of life and energy, Joe’s character is actually able to put his race on the map. During the 1930s, the entire black race was considered an unimportant component to society. But even when the majority of the community was treaded upon, the rich and powerful of the community (in this case, Joe) still managed to mistreat the poor and lowly. By mistreating his fellow black citizens because of their lack of intelligence- just as the rich whites did in their society- he created a class system in what was considered a classless race.
Although people had both negative and positive opinions about Joe and his actions, most of them remained acquiescent. Many knew that if they spoke up or defended themselves, the powerful, rich man would only demand their submission. “…none had the temerity to challenge him. They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again, he was all of these things because the town bowed down.” (Houston 50) Joe’s put-downs and disparaging comments made the poor and unsuccessful acknowledge that they were, in fact, a waste of life and needed his guidance. His power and lack of compassion helped bring him to success- but only for a short time. Many people became fed up with Joe and talked about him behind his back. Even his wife joined those who were fed up. Because of his disrespect and unkindness, Joe died a sad and lonely death. Many people came to his funeral to pay respect, but few came because they lost a friend. His ruling chair gave him a great view of power, but if he had sat with those who cared about him, instead, life would have ended as brightly as he intended.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston portrays God more like fate than a specific deity. Janie, for example, sees God as a force that led her to Tea Cake when she says, “Ah waz fumblin around and God opened de door.” In the passage from which the title is taken, the hurricane victims wait out the storm together in a ramshackle house. The line, “they seem to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God,” can be intepreted in several ways. It could represent the ways in which fate and religion are present even when they are not obvious, and it could mean the “dark” is the dark of ignorance-- not knowing God’s will. Hurston seems to be saying that even if God provides us with a message it is up to us to interpret the meaning. For example, the Indians give Tea Cake and Janie the warning to flee the hurricane area, but they do not accept the information they are given. When they are told that all of the animals were suddenly going east, they do not interpret the sign correctly. They pay a terrible price for these failures. Hurston suggests it is our obligation to interpret God’s meaning in the things we see around us. God does not just give us the answers, he provides us with situations where we can discover them ourselves. Hurston, however, does not say why this is so. She does not tell us that God returns our gaze with any kind of sympathy or understanding. When Janie is forced by circumstances to shoot and kill her husband, she cannot understand God’s intention. Hurtson’s God gives us the responsiblilty of interpreting his signs, and when we cannot-- for example, when Janie must kill the only man she loves and wonders why-- no real understanding is given. Hurston wants us to use our individual experience, our reaction to the world God has made around us, as our guide. As she tells Pheoby at the end of the novel, “ You got tuh go there to know there…Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh themselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out livin for themselves.” The very act of trying to determine God’s meaning through her own experiences is what allows Janie to be a whole person. Janie learns to live by what she has experienced herself, not by what others or custom tell her to do. So by “watching” God, and by interpreting his meaning, Janie becomes a fully developed person.
"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (Hurston 1). This opening passage immediately describes the lives of women compared to men. Women in early America were expected to do three things, cook, clean and take care of others. The men ruled society, community and the home. Their rules were what went. The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston depicted how men were the masters and the women were the livestock and of lesser equal.
Throughout the novel, Janie's husbands were her masters. They told what was expected of her and what was respectable. Janie had no choice or life of her own. She lived her husbands lives. Joe (Jody) Sparks was an entrepreneur who treated Janie of lesser value. Janie was expected to work the store, and always wear her hair up."Dat's right,but Ah'm uh man even if Ah is de Mayor. But the Mayor's wife is somethin' different again. But you ain't goin' off in all dat mess uh commonness." (Hurston 56). She was not allowed to attend community functions unless Jody approved and she does not speak unless spoken to. Jody was Janie's master. Even when Janie was happily married to Tea Cake she still was of lesser value. She still was expected to clean and cook all the meals. Janie was still a slave to her husband. This novel showed in detail of how all women in early America are discriminated against because of gender. Men and women were not treated as equals.
Everyone is equal, no matter his or her skin tone, or gender, or where they came from. What matters is what is inside, such as their beliefs and soul. In the southern-based novel Their Eyes Where Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurtson the reader is told a story during a time when men were thought of more highly then women. This idea is still present today in some minds, however events in history such as the women’s rights movement have helped show that women are just the same as men to the general public.
Janie’s second of three husbands, Joe, speaks his thoughts of women to her, “Dat’s ‘cause you need tellin’,”he rejoined hotly. “It would be pitiful if Ah didn’t. Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none theirselves.”(Hurtson 71). He relates women to farm animals, which shows he believes they are lesser then men and have no strength or knowledge. What has made people as a whole think this way? Why were men years ago thought of as the only ones who could deal with business and have their opinions spoken, while women had to hide in their homes cooking and such? Males are often seen in nature as the leaders, the ones who are stronger, however they don’t beat and abuse the females, or think they are better then them, as humans did. Maybe it is the male’s role in mating that makes them feel like the dominant gender, or the different hormones that makes them feel power hungry and have the need to want control over women.
Altogether, women are just as strong and can think just as deeply and meaningfully as males, which the author illustrates to her audience through the main character. Need for control does not give anyone the right to physically abuse or rule over another person no matter what his or her gender, or race may be.
One theme in “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston is the suppression of Janie’s true character. Before Janie is forced by her grandmother to marry the much older Logan Killicks, she is a confident, adventurous, spunky teenager. She wanders around in the fields, swims in nearby lakes, and boldly kisses a boy she hardly knows just because she feels like it. However, once she is thrown into married life, Janie is obliged to immediately change into an obedient, hard-working wife who is not allowed to express her own opinions. Completely unsatisfied with her new lifestyle, Janie seeks adventure and runs away with a man named Joe Starks. Joe becomes her second husband, and promises a new life rich with opportunity. At first, Janie is very content to be the wife of the authoritative mayor of Eatonville. Much to Janie’s dismay, Joe proves to be controlling and chauvinistic. After making a speech to his townspeople, someone from the crowd requests that Janie say a few words as well. Arrogantly, Joe replies “Mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home”(41, Hurston). Even though Janie had not planned on speaking in public, she resents her husband’s condescending attitude. She finds herself restricted by the boundaries of another tedious marriage, in which she has no voice and her overbearing husband criticizes every little thing she does. Not only her voice is silenced, but also her former way of living and true personality is suppressed. Joe demands that she wrap her hair with a cloth to prevent other men in Eatonville from being attracted to her. This symbolizes Joe’s efforts to tame Janie’s free spirit. She is forced to hide her wild hair, just like she is constantly required to suppress her inner thoughts and feelings. To restrain Janie’s character even further, Joe literally silences her when he forbids her to socialize with their neighbors and fellow townspeople.
Furthermore, the time period in which Janie lives restricts her from showing her real identity. She exists in a world in which women do not have any purpose in life other than to become a wife and mother; they are practically slaves owned by their husbands. Janie’s true voice is silenced by the general propriety of the era. If she had been born a white man instead of a black woman, she would have had countless more freedoms, privileges, and opportunities to be independent. Had she lived in today’s world, Janie would be successful, free to make her own decisions, and therefore content. The people that surround and influence Janie’s life combined with the common lifestyle of the era in which she lives, causes Janie’s free and independent nature to be hidden beneath a veil of polite obedience.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” He is referring to a person’s natural, subconscious attraction to all forms of power, such as strength and control. Without realizing it, all humans are drawn towards authority and toughness, and jump at the smallest opportunity to obtain it. Lincoln means that a man’s character is judged by the way he uses his power. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, one of the many themes presented is power.
An exercise in English class demonstrated humans’ attraction towards power. Each student closed their eyes as the teacher tapped five of them on the shoulder. The ones who were tapped got up and stood in a line at the back of the room. When the other students opened their eyes, the teacher asked them to create rules for the five students to follow during class that day. Immediately, students enthusiastically began to make up ridiculous rules. It took them about ten minutes to realize that what they were doing is wrong—singling those five people out for no reason is discrimination. Similarly, Jody Starks jumps at the chance for power when he and Janie reach Eatonville. Even after he has become mayor, store owner, and landlord, Jody’s obsession with power does not cease; soon, Janie becomes a victim as well. For instance, when Tony asks Janie to make a speech (her husband had just been appointed Mayor of Eatonville), Jody claims, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home,” (Hurston 40-41). Another similar instance in the book is when Jody forces Janie to hide her hair. He really does it because he is jealous of other men who enjoy looking at her hair, but this action illustrates that there is nothing he will not use his influence for. Moreover, Jody abuses Janie both verbally and physically. He constantly teases her about her old age and looks to the point where Janie snaps back at him in front of the customers at the store. So, Jody beats her brutally and tells her to go home. Much like the class exercise, Jody creates rules for Janie and abuses her because of his natural human obsession with power, and because he his in the position to do so. His newfound power has changed him and his feelings.
All in all, power is a recurring theme in Hurston’s novel, as well as throughout history. Slave owners eagerly accepted the ability to own and control other human beings. Nazis welcomed the idea that they were superior to all other races, and that certain minorities should be destroyed. In each instance, the main factor is power, the ability to manage the ways of others. Humans will always be drawn towards power, but we must learn how to use it correctly. Jody’s treatment of Janie is a true picture of the consequences of power falling into the wrong hands.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston illustrates the psychological consequences of marital relationships for 20th century African-American women. Due to the lack of women’s rights, they are left powerless against their husbands. The unequal distribution of power in the relationship causes psychological abuse for women. In this novel, Janie suffers through the hardships of being in an abusive marriage. During these times, women were considered property for a man to take care of. Men had the rights, and therefore controlled their wives. This psychologically affected women because they were treated worthlessly. Instead of having jobs like men did, a women’s job was “in de home” (Hurston 41). Joe Stark, Janie’s second husband, felt that “somebody got to think for women and chillun and chicken and cows... they sho don’t think none theirselves” (Hurston 67). Along with most men of the 20th century, Joe considers his wife basically worthless and even compares her to farm animals. Women forcibly accepted this oppressive treatment because this was the only treatment they knew. Janie allowed her husbands to repress her because it was how things were. African-American women in general during the 20th century were led to believe they were worthless because men told them so. The lack of women's rights ensured that women would be convinced they were nothing more than wives who belonged in the kitchen. In Janie's case, the psychological abuse from her marriages changed her. The abuse caused Janie to accept this treatment and have a low self worth. African-American women of this time period, including Janie, were forced to succumb to psychologically abusive husbands because they had no rights.
ZNH is showing in “Their Eyes Were Watching God” that black women were negatively affected by men because men had the power while women faced very low expectations. By men forcing women to take no role in society women became accustomed to allowing men to rule their lives. Women were beaten and pushed around because they were the lowest of the low in 1937 society. As a young girl, Janie’s grandmother tells her “de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man to pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, nut he don’t tote it. He hand it to his women folks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world.” Everyone had the power over these black women. The world created this feeling that African American women were the scum that did not deserve. Janie represents the struggle of black women in the 20th century. She is constantly searching for happiness, but the men in her life always seem to ruin it. The women were oppressed in their worlds by both men of their own race and the white race. During the roaring 20’s and 30’s women were supposed to be finding their independence and taking a stand in life. They began wearing their hair short, partying, and dressing differently. However Janie, along with other African American women, was not taking part in the new era. They were too busy picking up the slack of the men that ruled their lives. Janie was definitely underestimated in her life with Joe and Logan. With one small mistake, Janie was slapped, punched, and scorned. ZNH is revealing to us the hard times and obstacles that oppressed African American women faced day to day. There was a list of restrictions these tormented souls had to comply with from not being able to divorce their husband to having no legal right to their own money. These women were incredible for just living in the conditions they endured daily.
Throughout history, men have deprived women of their identity. Women could not vote, own property, or even be seen in public without their husband. Most importantly, women were denied the right of freedom of speech. However, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston displays the evolution of Janie's own identity by using dialogue. While Hurston writes in third person to describe what is happening in the book, she uses dialogue to mold the changing identity of Janie.
From an early age, Janie is told that her opinion does not matter. Her first husband, Logan Killicks, is not what Janie dreamed of as a husband. When Janie stats her opinion and pleads her Nanny to not "make [her] mary Mr. Killicks" (Hurston 15), her Nanny responds by saying it's the best thing for her to do. Even though this is not the ideal marriage for Janie, she does what is expected of her and marries Logan, despite her own personal beliefs.
Janie eventually marries a new husband by the name of Joe Starks. Joe seems to be the perfect husband for Janie. He was a very smart man and a hard worker. Most importantly, she was "proud of what she saw" (Hurston 34) when she looked at her husband. They had a strong relationship for many years. Additionally, Janie was forming her own identity even more while working in Joe's shop.
One day Mrs. Robbins came in her with her starving children begging for food. While Janie could connect with her dilemma, Joe acts ignorant to the troubling situation that faced the Robinson family. He cuts her the tiniest sliver of meat for all of them to eat. Janie disagrees with Joe's brash mindset and stands up for Mrs. Robinson and all other women of the world when she states "Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised he was 'bout y'all turning out so smart after Him makin' yuh different; and how surprised y'all is goin' yuh be if you ever find out you don't know half as much 'bout us as you think you do. It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when ain' t got nothin' tuh strain against but women and chickens" (Hurston 75). This dialogue symbolizes Janie voicing her own opinion for the first time since her adolescent years. And while no other character takes this quote to heart, it has opened new doors for Janie to start molding her own new opinions, and most importantly, her own new identity.
Throughout history, men have deprived women of their identity. Women could not vote, own property, or even be seen in public without their husband. Most importantly, women were denied the right of freedom of speech. However, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston displays the evolution of Janie's own identity by using dialogue. While Hurston writes in third person to describe what is happening in the book, she uses dialogue to mold the changing identity of Janie.
From an early age, Janie is told that her opinion does not matter. Her first husband, Logan Killicks, is not what Janie dreamed of as a husband. When Janie stats her opinion and pleads her Nanny to not "make [her] mary Mr. Killicks" (Hurston 15), her Nanny responds by saying it's the best thing for her to do. Even though this is not the ideal marriage for Janie, she does what is expected of her and marries Logan, despite her own personal beliefs.
Janie eventually marries a new husband by the name of Joe Starks. Joe seems to be the perfect husband for Janie. He was a very smart man and a hard worker. Most importantly, she was "proud of what she saw" (Hurston 34) when she looked at her husband. They had a strong relationship for many years. Additionally, Janie was forming her own identity even more while working in Joe's shop.
One day Mrs. Robbins came in her with her starving children begging for food. While Janie could connect with her dilemma, Joe acts ignorant to the troubling situation that faced the Robinson family. He cuts her the tiniest sliver of meat for all of them to eat. Janie disagrees with Joe's brash mindset and stands up for Mrs. Robinson and all other women of the world when she states "Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised he was 'bout y'all turning out so smart after Him makin' yuh different; and how surprised y'all is goin' yuh be if you ever find out you don't know half as much 'bout us as you think you do. It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when ain' t got nothin' tuh strain against but women and chickens" (Hurston 75). This dialogue symbolizes Janie voicing her own opinion for the first time since her adolescent years. And while no other character takes this quote to heart, it has opened new doors for Janie to start molding her own new opinions, and most importantly, her own new identity.
Throughout history, men have deprived women of their identity. Women could not vote, own property, or even be seen in public without their husband. Most importantly, women were denied the right of freedom of speech. However, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston displays the evolution of Janie's own identity by using dialogue. While Hurston writes in third person to describe what is happening in the book, she uses dialogue to mold the changing identity of Janie.
From an early age, Janie is told that her opinion does not matter. Her first husband, Logan Killicks, is not what Janie dreamed of as a husband. When Janie stats her opinion and pleads her Nanny to not "make [her] mary Mr. Killicks" (Hurston 15), her Nanny responds by saying it's the best thing for her to do. Even though this is not the ideal marriage for Janie, she does what is expected of her and marries Logan, despite her own personal beliefs.
Janie eventually marries a new husband by the name of Joe Starks. Joe seems to be the perfect husband for Janie. He was a very smart man and a hard worker. Most importantly, she was "proud of what she saw" (Hurston 34) when she looked at her husband. They had a strong relationship for many years. Additionally, Janie was forming her own identity even more while working in Joe's shop.
One day Mrs. Robbins came in her with her starving children begging for food. While Janie could connect with her dilemma, Joe acts ignorant to the troubling situation that faced the Robinson family. He cuts her the tiniest sliver of meat for all of them to eat. Janie disagrees with Joe's brash mindset and stands up for Mrs. Robinson and all other women of the world when she states "Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised he was 'bout y'all turning out so smart after Him makin' yuh different; and how surprised y'all is goin' yuh be if you ever find out you don't know half as much 'bout us as you think you do. It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when ain' t got nothin' tuh strain against but women and chickens" (Hurston 75). This dialogue symbolizes Janie voicing her own opinion for the first time since her adolescent years. And while no other character takes this quote to heart, it has opened new doors for Janie to start molding her own new opinions, and most importantly, her own new identity.
Throughout history, men have deprived women of their identity. Women could not vote, own property, or even be seen in public without their husband. Most importantly, women were denied the right of freedom of speech. However, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston displays the evolution of Janie's own identity by using dialogue. While Hurston writes in third person to describe what is happening in the book, she uses dialogue to mold the changing identity of Janie.
From an early age, Janie is told that her opinion does not matter. Her first husband, Logan Killicks, is not what Janie dreamed of as a husband. When Janie stats her opinion and pleads her Nanny to not "make [her] mary Mr. Killicks" (Hurston 15), her Nanny responds by saying it's the best thing for her to do. Even though this is not the ideal marriage for Janie, she does what is expected of her and marries Logan, despite her own personal beliefs.
Janie eventually marries a new husband by the name of Joe Starks. Joe seems to be the perfect husband for Janie. He was a very smart man and a hard worker. Most importantly, she was "proud of what she saw" (Hurston 34) when she looked at her husband. They had a strong relationship for many years. Additionally, Janie was forming her own identity even more while working in Joe's shop.
(continued)
One day Mrs. Robbins came in her with her starving children begging for food. While Janie could connect with her dilemma, Joe acts ignorant to the troubling situation that faced the Robinson family. He cuts her the tiniest sliver of meat for all of them to eat. Janie disagrees with Joe's brash mindset and stands up for Mrs. Robinson and all other women of the world when she states "Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised he was 'bout y'all turning out so smart after Him makin' yuh different; and how surprised y'all is goin' yuh be if you ever find out you don't know half as much 'bout us as you think you do. It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when ain' t got nothin' tuh strain against but women and chickens" (Hurston 75). This dialogue symbolizes Janie voicing her own opinion for the first time since her adolescent years. And while no other character takes this quote to heart, it has opened new doors for Janie to start molding her own new opinions, and most importantly, her own new identity.
In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Zora Neale Hurston depicts the meaning behind the oppression African American males inflicted upon their wives to brace and endure during the 1930’s. This element is expressed through Janie and her relationship with Jody as she experiences the struggle to cope and accept the maltreatment imposed upon her. For example, while in her harnessing relationship, Janie often tried to speak her mind and stand up for herself. During a particular situation Jody insults Janie by exclaiming “I god almighty! A woman stay round uh store till she get old as Methusalem and still can’t cut a little thing like a plug of tobacco! Don’t stand dere rollin’ yo’ pop eyes at me wid yo’ rumpin hangin’ nearly to yo’ knees!”(78, Hurston). This left her stripped of her womanly being and left skin bare in the store crowded with men. As a result she rebelled exclaiming, “Talkin’ bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life,”(79, Hurston), leaving Jody threatened and “robbed of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish,”(79, Hurston). Realizing he was losing his authority over her, he “struck Janie with all his might and drive her from the store,”(80, Hurston) proving that the oppression he suppresses upon Janie is due to feeling threatened and advanced upon by a “lesser being”. As Janie continues to test Jody’s illusion of the “irresistible maleness”, Jody looses grasp of the hand of control he has struggling to restrain her from becoming more educated and powerful as he is. The only way to keep her submissive state of being locked is to prove he is superior and dominant by the vile works of abuse and neglect. Dismally in comparison to Janie’s situation, women in the Middle East face strikingly similar situations where they are suppressed as “lesser beings” as described in the novel “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. In fear of losing power and control over the community, the men in this region suppress the women to great extents, refusing to allow women to receive education or show an inch of skin. Marjane expresses her personal struggle to rebel against the government as well as symbolizing the lack of empowerment and callous maltreatment women face in the Middle East. Therefore, stripped bare of any rights or thought similar to Janie and her condition, women are left to suffer and “(press) (their) teeth together and (learn) to hush,” (71, Hurston). With no alternative to turn upon, Janie and women are left together to battle against the male authority and dominion for a chance of empowerment and supremacy.
In the early twentieth century, social status was decided at birth. Janie was born an African-American woman; therefore she was born with low expectation. Without even taking her first steps or saying her first word, she was already considered less intelligent and less powerful than a man. This form of deciding a creature’s future is present in the animal world. When a mule is born, there is only one reason: to work. The mule’s destiny is created the moment it is born. In her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses the hardships and toil inflicted on the mules by their owners to symbolize the oppression Janie experiences in her first two marriages.
Early in the book, Janie’s dreams of power and a happy marriage are cut short by her grandmother, who warns her of the challenges faced by African-American woman. “De white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man to pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks,” her grandmother mourns, “De nigger woman is de mule of de world.” (Hurston 14) She explains that African-American women have always been the least powerful in society and always would. They are forced to suffer at the bottom of society, only because of their gender and race. Similarly, the mules are animals that are only used for work. They will never accomplish anything earth shattering, just as the African-American women. Later in the novel, Janie encounters a mule belonging to a man in her town. The mule’s owner is constantly ridiculed and teased for the poor treatment of the animal. Janie, upset by their taunting, explains that the mule has “done been worked tuh death, done had his disposition ruint wit mistreatment…” (Hurston 53) Janie sympathizes with the mule because of the mental and physical hardships she encountered in her first two relationships. With her first husband Logan, Janie is forced to work against her will; she is beaten and insulted by her husband when she refuses. Later, when she leaves him for Joe, she is treated more like an item than a person because she is a woman. She isn’t equal to him or worthy of his time. Her new husband refuses to listen to her or take her advice. Instead he tells her, “I see one thing and understands ten. You sees ten things and don’t understand one.” (Hurston 67)
Similarly, the mule in the novel is never considered an animal with a personality and feelings. It experiences constant physical abuse at the hands of its owner, who overworks and rarely feeds the animal. The mule is also frequently mocked by its owner, who on one occasion says, “(the mule is) jus’ too mean tuh git fat. He stay poor and rawbony jus’ fuh spite. Skeered he’ll halfta work some.” (Hurston 49) The owner isn’t willing to admit his wrongs in not feeding the poor creature and instead places the blame on the mule itself. When it wanders away, the owner looks for it, not because he doesn’t want it to be lost or hurt; he needs to plow the next morning and can’t do it without the mule. In the novel, Janie is not considered an equal by Joe or Logan, just as the mule is not considered anything important to their owners. To Logan and Joe, Janie is merely a woman, to the owner, the mule is only a farm tool. The physical and verbal abuse the mule experiences in its life parallels the pain Janie feels in her failed marriages.
Zora Neale Hurston, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, proposes the idea that personal growth is a direct result of undergoing different phases in relationships. Janie struggles to find her identity throughout her life, and only after changing as a result from her three relationships, is she able to find who she is, and what she wants from life. While Janie is constantly silenced, looked down upon, and beaten, her sufferings help her to gain the mental power to fight for herself. She grows stronger and less naïve; while going through three different marriages, she finds that each relationship brings more awareness to her own identity. Her first marriage was less of a romance, and more of a want for security. Janie married Logan knowing that he would be able to provide for her, but she was hoping that love would come as well. When they acted coldly towards each other, Janie came to realization that she had to leave Logan, or she would never reach her horizon. By forcing a marriage, she eventually came to the conclusion that if she wanted love, she needed to marry someone on her own terms. Because her first husband burdened her for her labor, a man who could indulge Janie gave her more hope for love; therefore, she married a successful man who made her feel exceptional. While she had more choice in her second relationship, she was constantly silenced and trapped from her own opinions. By experiencing a relationship where she could choose her husband, she realized that she needed to marry a man on her own terms, while still asserting her independence. Due to her suffering in previous marriages, she is able to recognize her true love for Tea Cake. He treats her equally and gives her the independence that she thirsted for; Janie is able to recognize her own strength and understand exactly what she needs in a husband for love. It is clear that Janie has changed since her first marriage because Tea Cake treats her as an equal, just as Logan did. While Janie would grimace at the thought of working in the fields with Logan, she thought more of it as a privilege working with Tea Cake. He gave her a true understanding of who she was. When Janie is finally content with life, she is challenged with the most difficult decision of her life. When Tea Cake becomes rabid, she must shoot him to save her own life. Throughout their years together, he gave Janie the power to prioritize her life before the man she has grown to love. “Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go to tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves,” (192). Janie has gone through a major change after many small changes and found herself. She has lived her life, and got in touch with herself. After each marriage, Janie has a more clear understanding for what she wants and she becomes aware of her own identity.
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Neale Hurston, describes how the lack of rights for women, effect martial relationships. Due to the shortage of civil liberties for women, wives have no choice but to put faith in their husbands. This gives their spouse even more power, leaving the wives essentially defenseless, powerless and subjected to the will of their husbands. This unbalanced relationship causes psychosocial and physical struggles for the women. The main character Janie, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, experiences these hardships during her marriages.
Her first husband Logan Killicks, saw Janie as his personal worker. He labeled her spoiled and insisted she work as hard as him. In addition, he insulted her and her family many times and threatened to hurt her. Janie was extremely dissatisfied and unhappy in her relationship with Logan, because he shattered her childhood dreams of love. About two years into her relationship with her second husband, Joe Starks, Janie begins to realize that his need for power doesn’t stop at his mayor position. He strives to turn the self-seeking Janie into someone completely dependent on him as well as a puppet for his enjoyment and to aid his reputation, even if it meant hurting her. For example, he forces her to cover her hair, which is continually noted as her most attractive, unique, and beautiful feature. Hurston uses this as a symbol to explain that Joe is not only trying to cover Janie’s hair, but Janie’s dreams, wants, her independence, as well as hindering her self-discovery. Janie’s unhappiness can be seen in this passage. “Then one day she sat and watched the shadow of herself going about tending the store and prostrating itself before Jody… Somebody near about making summertime out of lonesomeness…but after a while it got so she ceased to be surprised. It was like a drug. In a way it was good because it reconciled her to things. She got so she received all things with the solidness of the earth which soaks up urine and perfume with the same indifference.”(Hurston 73) In this passage Hurston depicts how depressed Janie is with her marriage. She becomes so accustomed to Jody refusing to listen and respect her that she lets go of herself, just like he wanted. Later on, Janie snaps from all the pressure of being silent and compliant throughout the years which causes Jody to strike her publicly. She had degraded him, exposing his fake power and “maleness”. In her next marriage to Tea Cake, it seems as if the consequences of no rights are behind her, but Hurston gives the reader a few reminders that women are still subjected to their husband’s will and power. For instance, when Tea Cake becomes jealous, he beats Janie to show off his “possession”. Despite the presence of love in their marriage, Janie still suffers from physical abuse because even legally, she doesn’t have power to defend herself.
An example of the hardships women face in marriage when they have no rights would be the award- winning movie Not Without My Daughter directed by Brian Gilbert in 1991. This heart-wrenching true story is about an American woman named Betty, her Iranian husband Moody and their daughter Mahtob. When the family visits Moody’s homeland, Betty is suddenly aware that she has no rights and Moody is becoming much more aggressive and possessive. Moody begins to physically abuse Betty and threaten her life and their daughter constantly. Betty struggles throughout the movie to escape from Iran and Moody with her daughter, which proves to be more arduous than she imagined. When she is finally free and in America again, she is still scarred emotionally, always fearing to be in that helpless and hopeless position again. Married women with no rights feel this way often. They suffer psychological and physical abuse from power-hungry husbands, just like Janie and Betty.
-Gabriella Concepcion
From birth, a human begins to form relationships with those who cross his or her path. Familial interactions often become the first strong, lasting bonds in one's life. Later on, friendships and courtships begin and end frequently, each one leaving its mark on those involved. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God" author Zora Neale Hurston integrates a recurring theme of the often necessary relationships throughout life which cumulatively help to shape one's character and personality. Janie, the protagonist, eventually finds herself through experiences with others in her life.
The first strong bond for Janie is that with her grandmother, who is the one to awaken Janie to the cruel world outside of her childish dreams. Janie is quickly forced to realize that her "first dream [is] dead, so she [becomes] a woman" (Hurston 25) and marries. Logan Killicks, the first husband, is an unloving and uncaring man. In spite of her best efforts, Janie cannot bring herself to love him and by the end "knows that marriage [does] not make love" (Hurston 25). Rather than grovel in submission, Janie runs off to be with Joe "Jody" Sparks, a seemingly charming and intelligent man who in reality is controlling and emotionally abusive. Upon Joe's death, Janie vows to never again simply be the "good wife" who just listens to the husbands' demands. Despite the failure of the first two marriages, the third marriage, to Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods, is a complete success. Outside the norm and full of love, the relationship with Tea Cake teaches Janie what it means to truly love someone wholeheartedly. By the end, Janie has experienced disappointment from her grandmother, emotional imprisonment with Logan Killicks, oppression from Joe Sparks, and ultimately friendship and happiness with Tea Cake. Through this lifetime of experiences, Janie is able to discover herself within. Zora Neale Hurston relates Janie to everyone in her audience through the theme of finding oneself in character only after reflecting on previous relationships and searching through the resulting wreckage of an eternity of mistakes and successes.
In today's society we have two main approaches to life. People will either take a more conservative approach or a more liberal approach. A conservative approach is very straight forward and traditional, while liberals tend to throw caution to the wind and live laid back lives. Zora Neale Hurston affiliates these two lifestyles with nature and common sense in her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God". An argument in chapter 6 between Sam Watson and lige moss gets the whole town of Eatonville all up in arms about agreeing with nature or caution. Sam tells Lige that "It's nature, cause nature makes caution. It's de strongest thing dat God ever made, now. Fact is it's de only thing God ever made,"(Hurston_61). He is trying to explain that without nature, nobody would have anything to be cautious about.
Janie, the main character, bases her life on nature rather than caution. She is a free spirited person with an unique identity. This is why her second marriage to Jody Starks failed as she got to know him more and more. She couldn't have known that he was more of a caution person when she left her first husband for him. Jody Starks was a typical husband of the early twentieth century because he confined his wife to house chorus and cleaning. Under Jody's control, Janie couldn't participate in local debates or even do things that would make her feel strong. Even though they were wealthy, there was a dark looming over her all of the time. Being the free-spirited person she was made it difficult to continue life like that. This is way she fell in love with Tea Cake because, like her, he was very laid back and free spirited. He would make her feel young and alive. In the end, she was forced to make a swift, common sense decision to end Tea Cake's life. I believe one of the lessons stressed through this novel is that people need a combination of both nature and caution to live a good life.
-Gunnar Wainwright
Throughout the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the presence and absence of love is a constant theme. Zora Neale Hurston tells of the sacrifices made for love and the desperate acts that were committed as a result of it. Through Janie Crawford’s struggles and relentless thirst for survival and contentment we ultimately face the question: How strong is the power of love?
As a young girl, Janie sought to fulfill the expectations of her Grandmother, Nanny. Nanny wanted her to be raised properly, and to lead a simple and respectable life where she would be happiest sitting on the porch making conversation. Janie’s dreams and free spirit longed for something much more, but because of her love for Nanny, she sacrificed and accepted a hand in marriage with Logan Killicks.
Life married to Logan was dull and monotonous, and Janie waited day in and day out for love to come. She hoped that with a husband and a home, love would eventually find its way into their marriage but it never did. Joe Starks entertained her with the idea of a better life with him. Janie was immediately struck by a feeling of love, so on a whim she left Logan and that part of her life behind. But as she and Jody developed a life together that feeling soon disappeared.
Janie then spent the next twenty years of her life waiting for this feeling to come back, waiting for love and being suppressed by it at the same time. She remained faithful to her husband, although he saw her as nothing more than property. When Jody passed away, love caught her in an unexpected twist upon meeting Tea Cake.
Love tried them both with jealousy, and it was love that drove Tea Cake to risk his own life for Janie’s. Love made Janie question God, the one constant always present in her life. She questioned his power, and reasons for making Tea Cake suffer as he did. In the end, love ultimately cost Tea Cake his life. Janie knew that the man who she shot and killed was not the man she loved, but one possessed by illness. By killing Tea Cake, she knew she was killing a part of herself that she had to sacrifice for the greater power of love.
In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", by Zora Neale Hurtson, there is a reoccurring theme present in the book. The theme prevails as people will be looked down upon depending on how low they are on the "social status ladder". The rich white man ruling supreme at the top of the "ladder" and the poor black woman being the lowest rung of the "ladder". The lower you were on the "ladder" the more one was looked down upon by multiple groups. Janie's second husband, Jody, had built his town up from the ground, and was the most powerful person in the town. Since Jody was the most powerful person in the town, he disrespected and mistreated all of those who were below him on the social "ladder". Those people included in the group of people below him, which was basically everyone, included his own wife, Janie, and children. Even though he mistreated his own wife, Jody would not let Janie converse with the "common people" because they were in a lower "social class" than they were. When Janie tried to oppose Jody, he beat her, trying to intimidate her. Janie's first husband, Logan, even mistreated her because she was an African-American woman who was not as wealthy as himself.
In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", by Zora Neale Hurtson, there is a reoccurring theme present in the book. The theme prevails as people will be looked down upon depending on how low they are on the "social status ladder". The rich white man ruling supreme at the top of the "ladder" and the poor black woman being the lowest rung of the "ladder". The lower you were on the "ladder" the more one was looked down upon by multiple groups. Janie's second husband, Jody, had built his town up from the ground, and was the most powerful person in the town. Since Jody was the most powerful person in the town, he disrespected and mistreated all of those who were below him on the social "ladder". Those people included in the group of people below him, which was basically everyone, included his own wife, Janie, and children. Even though he mistreated his own wife, Jody would not let Janie converse with the "common people" because they were in a lower "social class" than they were. When Janie tried to oppose Jody, he beat her, trying to intimidate her. Janie's first husband, Logan, even mistreated her because she was an African-American woman who was not as wealthy as himself.
In Zora Neale Hurston's novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God", she shows how back then that women were overpowered and ruled by men. The women were “de mules uh de world”. Janie wanted to find love were she would be treated as an actual person, which for women in her time period is very difficult.
Logan Killicks was her first husband and expected her to do everything. He had no respect, care, or love for her. Janie was basically used as a slave in the relationship. Men thought if they did not show this control over their lady, that they would be viewed as weak or cowardly.
Janie's second husband, Joe Starks, was very cruel to her. He made her hide her hair in rags and basically told her that she had no freedom of speech. Many other women were treated like this and gave into the males power because back then males were known to be more powerful than women.
Her third and final husband, Tea Cake, was a little different than her first to husbands. Janie loved Tea Cake and Tea Cake said he loved her too, but when he said it he was just using it to make her do what he wanted.
All of her husbands show how women have been oppressed and owned by men. People say that males and females are treated equally today, but people just say things to make people happy. Has things really been changed to fix this oppression since back then?
-Joe Jacques
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, there are many examples of how the typical African American woman is treated unfairly. Janie, only 16, married Logan Killicks not out of love, but because of the money and land that he had. She was supposed to be happy with him because she would be well off. Women were often treatedunfairly. “De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so far as Ah can see.” (Pg 14) Janie’s grandma was only trying to give her what she never had. But love would not come between Janie and Logan after they married, and “Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.” (Pg 25) She was unhappy. The women are expected to be obedient and bow down to their husbands, but Janie just could not stand that. So, overall the men oppressed the women and in turn the women were unhappy.
A seed grows until it blooms into a tree. A relationship is similar; it starts off slow and works its way to become a tree filled with flowers and branches. These flowers and branches resemble love and respect in a relationship. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford lives her life through relationships with three men. The first man, Logan, causes their relationship to turn into dead braches and a decaying tree. Janie “wants things sweet wid [her] marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think.” (Hurston, 24) Her marriage with Logan turned out the opposite of a fully bloomed tree to sit under and be happy. Logan treated her with disrespect which caused the fall of the relationship. After her marriage with Logan finished, she sprang right into a relationship with the second man, Joe Starks. Joe disrespected her just as Logan had done. Their relationship became a bunch of “stumps and roots of de dark.”(Huston, 44) Joe acted as if he would treat Janie well at the time when they first met; however, things changed when she suddenly realized that “she wasn’t petal-open anymore with him.” (Hurston, 71) He became selfish and grew to ignore Janie. This relationship ended after Joe’s death and after Janie realized that “she had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be.” (Hurston, 72) Shortly after Joe’s death, Tea Cake became a part of Janie’s life. Tea Cake was the first man in Janie’s life who treated her like a woman. Their relationship, strong and healthy, creates a tree full of life. Tea Cake risked his life in the hurricane to save her from the vicious dog. This shows Tea Cake’s true character and how loyal he is to their relationship. As Tea Cake was reaching the end of his life, “a little seed of fear was growing into a tree.”(Hurston, 136) Janie had the fear of Tea Cake’s life because of the love they had for each other. He was the only man in her life who created a full tree of love. All of these relationships in Janie’s life changed her and led her towards becoming a woman. The author of this novel included these relationships in Janie’s life so the readers fathom the meaning of love and respect in a relationship. Zora Neale Hurston portrayed this message to the readers through symbols of the tree. The extended metaphor of the tree and a relationship conveys the message that a woman changes as a person throughout relationships and love. In addition, the readers can understand that a healthy relationship needs love and respect in order to form a bloomed tree.
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