Power Dynamics In Their Eyes Were Watching God And Sweat

Power dynamics come in several forms, including wife to husband, slave to master, and worker to boss. This concentration of power often affects societal feelings and actions, as abuse and corruption may occur. These topics are focal points for Zora Neal Hurston’s investigations into if power is the true source of fate. Throughout both the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and the short story “Sweat '' by Zora Neale Hurtson, the topics of destiny and power dynamics are evident through each work's central theme. In “Sweat”, Hurston highlights the idea of self determination, whereas in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston looks at the fragility of social norms and the importance of fate.

Both works examine the importance of power

Within this novel, shifting power dynamics between the protagonist Janie, and supporting characters set the stage for understanding how one’s societal reputation has limited influence on their final destiny. This novel dives into several power dynamics including Jody’s connection with both Janie and Eatonville as well as the dynamics between gender and socioeconomic status. A pivotal focus lies on Janie and Jody’s toxic relationship, as he is an alpha male, who prefers to assert dominance over their home life, societal reputation, and their relational connection. Jody, who was the mayor and developer of Eatonville, focused on building the town, as well as his reputation. This created turmoil not only with Janie, but with the citizens who felt he was being bossy and demanding. With this, Jody had immense power and contributed plenty to society, however he experienced an untimely downfall. On his deathbed, Janie expresses her grievance towards his abusive actions, saying “ You changes everything but nothin’ don’t change you—not even death” (86). This connects to how although Jody “changed” and improved the town, it was in the natural forces of god and death that Jody found his end. This demonstrates the flaws of their power dynamic as Janie finally found her voice, facilitating her personal triumph as both a wife and a woman. Additionally, in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, a crucial plot point that examines the weakness of social status, is Hurston's use of the hurricane as an immense power source. In the later portion of the novel, the characters encounter a hurricane, which brings several challenges to Janie and her third husband, Tea Cake. Hurston uses literary techniques to show the importance and power of the hurricane, as it is an uncontrollable monster for