The yin-yang in China represents the two sides of a marriage and how they balance each other out: female gentleness by male toughness, female supportiveness by male leadership, and female endurance by male action. Just like the yin-yang, Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston has two sides to herself that contradict each other, but make her who she is. In this novel, Janie searches for independence, but in her marriage with Joe Starks, she is unwilling to stand up for herself to gain her independence.
To start off, in Janie’s marriage with Joe, she desires freedom as “[she] hurried out of the front gate and turned south” (Hurston 32). She escaped from her lifeless and loveless marriage with Logan in a quest for her independence. As Janie fled, she found Joe and traveled to the new town with him hoping that her new relationship would suffice her needs. In Eatonville, Joe gains power over the town along with power over Janie as he is appointed the new mayor. For example, Joe makes Janie work for him in the store: “You kin look after things whilst Ah drum up things otherwise” (Hurston 43). Janie feels that she is being controlled by Joe
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For example, when Joe “ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Hurston 55), Janie did not resist. Instead, she wore a head-rag at all times in the store and in public; Joe only let Janie put her luscious hair down around him. Another instance on one night when Janie made dinner, but the “bread didn't rise... and the rice was scorched” (Hurston 72). On account of this, Joe “slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears” (Hurston 72). Instead of speaking up to Joe and defending herself, Janie stood still and accepted his abuse. Hurston is depicting to her audience that even though Janie desperately sought for independence, she stood defenseless every time Joe controlled and abused