Gabi Cruz Mr. Labrie IB English HL 10 May 2024 Janie’s Violation of Typical Gender Boundaries in Their Eyes Were Watching God In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie’s violation of typical gender boundaries is illustrated through the underlying theme of love and relationships versus independence, the symbolism of her hair and the motif of community. In their twentieth year of marriage, Jody begins to notice fundamental differences in the way time has treated Janie versus himself. Janie’s looks have changed minimally as he has become an old, tired man. Feeling his masculinity and superiority threatened, he consistently ridicules Janie’s body in front of others to keep the public eye off himself, eventually pushing …show more content…
Throughout their entire marriage, Janie submitted to Jody and tried her best to become his version of a perfect wife. Her inherent romanticism and belief that love is sacrifice sunk her deep within the confines of Jody’s manipulation. By fighting back, Janie defeated her internalized sexist belief that women are incapable of intelligent thought, a perception Jody impressed upon her. This integral shift in Janie’s perception of herself poses a significant threat to Jody and the men of Eatonville as she realizes love is not simply sacrifice, but reciprocal sacrifice in the name of love. Physically, she signifies this change the day of Jody’s death, as “Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house the next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist. That was the only change people saw in her” (89). Out of all the men seeking to own Janie, illustrated by the way one of them stroked her hair without her noticing, Jody asserted his dominance and control by forcing her to hide her hair under a rag. He views Janie’s hair as a possession only he is allowed to see and touch, dehumanizing Janie by equating an aspect of her body to that of an object to be