Stereotypes In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Gender is something that defines everyday life. It is an unavoidable topic for many. The author of Their Eyes were watching God uses gender to define her characters in many ways. For some she uses it to fit the mold of gender stereotypes but for others she breaks the boundaries that has been set for them. There are many things in this novel that fit the stereotypes of each gender. The men in this novel talk about women as though they are objects and they can beat them when they want. Janie does fit the stereotypes of women in many instances. She is a naive young girl that has a different view of romance than a woman would. Although Janie does fit the stereotypes of women, she also breaks many as well. Through her marriages she does things that

The male stereotype is a broad spectrum that covers beating his wife all the way to protecting the fragile woman in his life. Although they all fit the male stereotypes, only Logan and Joe would fit the description of toxic masculinity on the male stereotype spectrum. Tea Cake fits on the other side of the spectrum. He only wants to protect the woman that he has. Logan is a man that works outside all day and expects his wife to keep the house clean. He expects that his wife will do what he tells her to do and will do it without question. Joe fits the male stereotype in a different way. He tries to keep his woman in line by beating her and brags to the others about it. Although they had a good marriage at the start, the minute that he starts to beat her, her feelings change. She just wants to stick up for herself, “So he struck Janie with all of his might and drove her from the store” (80). This is another way that he fits the male stereotype. He does not care what she feels, rather he only cares about what the other guys in the town thinks about his marriage. Tea Cake is the last of her marriages, and is also a male that fits the stereotypes that are thrown onto men. Tea Cake, however, does not have the stereotype of what some would call toxic masculinity. He is sweet to Janie and tries to win her over, not caring what the town thinks about the relationship. This make Janie also want to stick up for their relationship. She tells the others in the town, “ ‘Still and all Ah’d ruther be wid Tea Cake’ ” (113). He wants to have her love him, and forget about the world around them. Rather than beating Janie, he tries to take care of her and gives her what he knows that she needs. He does not beat her to control her, but to show her who is boss. That is the only time that he strays from being the good man to her. All three of the men that she marries fit the male stereotype in a different way, from