If a reader looks at a novel through the feminist lens, they will, just like the real world, a world mostly ruled and defined by men. When reading “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, the reader finds themselves witnessing a time where women couldn’t express themselves and are only seen as an object. However, the main character, Janie, has made it her goal to defy that as seen through her actions throughout the novel. Because of this choice, she is judged by the town and shamed by the people around her for they cannot reach their potential or personal goals themselves from their little determination.
Body Paragraphs: In chapter 10 of the novel, while the town is off enjoying the ball game, Janie is running the store. Then
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They began to talk about her. Part of their thinking was that of “All the men that she could get, and fooling with somebody like Tea Cake! … here she goes sashaying off to a picnic in pink linen...It was a shame.” (110) Here, there’s a scene where Phoeby is talking to Sam Watson about it. She decides to talk to Janie about it, saying to her, “Janie, everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout how dat Tea Cake is draggin’ you round tuh places you ain’t used tuh.” (112) As the lens shows, men are usually dominant in everything, including over women. However, in the book, no men could “dominate” Janie after Joe’s death (aka become Janie’s husband) as “nobody seemed to get any further than the store.” Their goal was impossible to say. Then Tea Cake comes in and changes that faster did anyone other men did. Since Joe’s death, he was the only one to make her change in such a “pink linen” for him. And so, the town blames Janie for them not reaching their goal and Tea Cake for spoiling it. Also, as said before, the town is not used to the activities Janie is doing now with Tea Cake. In the book, it shows how the town always saw Janie doing only what Jody wanted her to do, which was to basically run the store and be a trophy. The town never saw her do something out of the ordinary. It was like a change in environment, something that the town find hard to adapt to. Also, in the