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Gender Roles In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Morgan King McGuire English II March 12, 2015 Does Gender Determine Superiority? In her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of gender roles and their significance in African American culture during the 1930’s. Hurston shows the importance males put on feeling superior to their female partners and forcing them to be submissive. Joe Starks attempts to fit Janie into a submissive role by silencing her in conver-sations, beating her within their house walls, and treating her as an object of his possession. Hurston establishes this early on in the novel, so that Janie's personal growth and development as a woman is evident throughout her journey. In the 1930s, it was believed that women should do the tasks required of them. Wom-en could have been compared to mules. This is shown when readers see how much influence Janie’s husband Joe has on what she is permitted to do, such as tasks and conversations. “Janie loved the conversation …show more content…

At the end of chapter six she finally says what is on her mind, “Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks to and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was…and how surprised y’all is goin’ tuh 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 Al-mighty when you aint’ got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens” (Hurston 75). This shocked Joe Janie and for the first time Janie expresses how she feels that God does in fact speak to both men and women. She is informing Joe of two things. The first is she believes with her heart that God listens to women and that they are not mules regardless of the poor treatment they may have endured. Secondly, Joe needs to not believe that he is a god. Janie in this moment is finally prepared and ready to fight for her

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She expected to obey for her husband like others. “He ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” reveals that she did everything to his happiness not for her. Even though she is a wife of a mayor, she didn’t get any privilege rather she lost her social relationship with other people. She lived under the dominance of her husband

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Though Joe Starks married Janie to let other see he can achieve to get a young and beautiful women. As well as to make his ego more strong. Even though he doesn’t like Janie for who she is, or maybe he doesn't show it, Joe is a protective man of what he owns. Janie thinks Joe is the perfect man for her. That he can pleasure her a much as the the tree.

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Janie allows men to treat her poorly several times throughout the novel. After Janie and her husband Joe Starks argue in the store about their age, Joe Starks, “struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store” (80). By not retaliating immediately after being beaten, Janie is not portraying a powerful role model for young readers. After Sop-de-Bottom tells Tea Cake how he’s lucky that he gets to beat Janie, Tea Cake responds with, “Ah didn’t whup Janie ‘cause she

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston acknowledges the idea of sexism when she addresses that Janie Starks, the protagonist, never got to fulfill her dreams. Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, wanted the best for her granddaughter so she married her off to a man named Logan Killicks, a man who had a small farm and good wealth “Janie and Logan got married in Nanny’s parlor of a Saturday evening with three cakes and big platters of fried rabbit and chicken,” (Hurston 3). Years has passed within the marriage and Janie never found love for Logan. Logan comparing her to his ex-wife, discriminated Janie’s place of position, “Mah fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood nohow. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie suffers from hardship in two relationships before she can find her true love. Janie explains to her best friend, Pheoby, how she searches for love. Therefore Pheoby wants to hear the true story, rather than listening to the porch sitters. Throughout the book Janie experiences different types of love with three different men; Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Vergible "Tea Cake" Woods. At 16 Janie marries Logan Killicks.

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Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston includes the motif of games to symbolize gender equality. Hurston also uses games to symbolize Joe’s hold over Janie. While married to Jody, Janie is never allowed to play games. The other women of the town use games as an excuse to sit on the porch and talk. Jody does not want Janie sitting on the porch or similarly conversing with the other women.

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“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is a novel written by Zora Neale Hurston. The novel portrays Janie, a middle aged black woman who tells her friend Pheoby Watson what has happened to her husband Tea Cake and her adventure. The resulting telling of her story portrays most of the novel. Throughout the novel, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of love, or being in a relationship versus freedom and independence, that being in a relationship may hinder one’s freedom and independence. Janie loves to be outgoing and to be able to do what she wants, but throughout the book the relationships that she is in with Logan,Jody and Tea Cake, does not allow her to do that.

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Over time, women have slowly gained more and more rights. They have become more prominent in society, making more decisions that influence their lives, as well as the lives of other people. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston highlights how the gender roles of men and women differ including women being less powerful than men, how Janie had the strength and determination to gain her own happiness, and how stereotypical roles should not play a part in society. Some people view Janie as a woman who should be dependent on her husband, following the traditional roles of women, being satisfied with her life as the less powerful sex.

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Janie still appreciates the love that she had with Tea Cake though. Although finding someone to love is a struggle for Janie, she is still able to love someone as well as enrich herself at the same time. In A Mercy, Florens wants affection in her life because being a slave has never really allotted her the privilege. This affection comes to Florens by the blacksmith who is a free black man. He does not see her as an equal which becomes obvious when he calls her a slave and says, “You are nothing but wilderness, No constraint.

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In Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston develops a contrast between the male and female genders of the time period of the story, and the male and female gender of today. Hurston wrote this novel in or about a time when women were considered simple-minded , women were disempowered by the empowered man in the relationship, and women can only gain power through marriage. But when Janie kisses Johnny Taylor, her view of men changes after seeing “a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage!

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Women are confined to single roles and are expected to be submissive and respectful. When Joe married Janie, he forced her into a role of subservience. Hurston indicates that Joe attempted to mold Janie into what white women do on a daily basis which is to “sit on their high stools on the porches of their house and relax.” Doing this, Joe believes he is granting his wife all the wishes she ever wanted while neglecting the fact that Janie takes pleasure in the simple things in life like chatting, laughing, fishing and dancing. “Janie [especially] loved the conversation[s]” that took place on the porch and sometimes “she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge” because he didn’t want her to talk after those “trashy people” (Page 104).

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