Patriarchal societies silence women by reinforcing structural violence against women through projecting discriminatory gender roles that often place limitations on how far they can go. Zora Neile Hurston, an African American author, Maxine Hong Kingston, an Asian American author, and Louise Elriche, an author with Native American heritage speak up against the struggles that women of color encounter on a regular basis by exploring themes of Sexual assault and rape. In “Their Eyes Are Watching God '' by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie, a female protagonist, grew up in a society that discriminated against women of color by their gender and race. In the memoir “The Women Warrior” by Maxine Kingston, Kingston, the narrator, three books portray the devastating …show more content…
After Nanny was raped by her white slave master, she was threatened to be “whipped till de blood run down to yo’ heels… And if it kills you Ah’ll stand the loss” by the Master’s wife (Hurston 18). On the Plantation, Nanny’s identity was stripped away and she was perceived as an asset to help the slave owners increase their profit instead of a person. Given that Nanny was the parental figure in Janie’s life, she did not want Janie to be trapped in racial and gender discrimination like her. Despite her efforts to protect Janie, Janie was sexually assaulted by her second husband JodyStarks, a mayor, due to power dynamics in their relationship since Jody is well respected in the community and Janie is a powerless …show more content…
The frrr experience traumatizes her so deeply that she becomes a pariah in her community and is eventually driven to suicide in her family well. The narrator's aunt is vulnerable to attack because she is a woman in a patriarchal society. Her husband, who is abusive and unfaithful, accuses her of having an affair and cuts off her braids, which symbolize her femininity and power. The aunt's vulnerability is further compounded by her lack of support from her family and community, who blame her for the abuse and ostracize