How Does Hurston Use Patriarchy In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora Neale Hurston is a pioneer in literature. The author has written numerous novels detailing the African-American experience, educating many on black history and culture. In addition to this, Hurston also takes on a feminist approach. This approach, known as feminist theory, examines women’s and men’s social roles, social inequality, patriarchy, as well as oppression. Hurston’s inclusion of feminist theory can most famously be seen in the author’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston applies this theory through the men present in the life of the protagonist, Janie Crawford. Hurston discusses oppression and patriarchy through Janie’s first husband, Logan Killicks. The emotionally unavailable man attempts to dominate Janie as he believes

These elements are applied through Logan Killicks. The emotionally destitute man hardly shows any affection towards Janie. Instead, the old man attempts to dominate Janie. The resistful attitude of the spunky Janie leads Logan to express anger and frustration, “If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh totie it inside” (Hurston 26). Logan is unable to fathom the fact that unlike his previous wife, Janie will not allow herself to be his submissive, “Mah fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood nohow...You done been spoilt rotten” (26). Logan’s expectation that women should automatically assume the role of housekeeper and focus their main attention on the completion of chores displays a society in which men hold power while women are excluded from it. Moreover, immense inequality is displayed as Logan assumes that men should contain the dominant role and women the lesser, submissive

Unlike Janie’s previous husbands, Tea Cake is openly willing to make Janie his equal. Hurston describe this equality as Tea Cake makes an effort to teach Janie how to play checkers, “He set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play” (95-96). A “glowing” Janie is visibly shaken at the fact that a man would be willing to teach her a skill. Also, the fact that Tea Cake does not hesitate to teach Janie how to play checkers proves that the caring man contains a more modern conception of women and their role. The sense of equality in their roles continues when Tea Cake offers Janie the option of laboring alongside him in the Everglades fields. Although Janie’s previous husbands wished for the woman to also take employment, Janie resented it. Logan desired for Janie to engage in hard labor due to the fact that the old man thought of the young woman as an object—like a workhorse—to dominate and utilize. Similarly, Joe wished that Janie would acquire work in the store in order to publicly display the protagonist as his trophy wife and to prove that he held absolute control over her. Unlike the previous men, Tea Cake offers Janie the option of work, instead of commanding her. Additionally, Tea Cake proposes this idea in order