Their Eyes Were Watching God Symbols

Hair is an important way for people to express themselves and their individuality. It can also serve as a tool of oppression by restricting how women can wear their hair and when they can wear it down. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, many different men attempt to control Janie by either covering her hair or using it to objectify her. Janie learns to push back against the expectations of other people by embracing her hair, therefore embracing herself. Janie’s hair symbolizes men’s attraction to her and her defiance against society.
Men take notice of Janie’s hair and use it to objectify and control her. After a man touches Janie’s hair, her husband Joe gets very angry at her, so he “ordered [her] to tie up her hair around

“Ordered” is a powerful word that conveys the imbalance in power in their relationship. Joe feels as if he is entirely in control of their relationship and can order Janie to do whatever he pleases. Joe feels strongly about the attention Janie receives because of her hair. He wants to be completely in charge of who sees her hair because he views the hair as a symbol of Janie’s sexuality. When other men notice her hair, he thinks they are sexually viewing her. In Joe’s mind, Janie only belongs to him; therefore, she must cover her hair. After years away from the Eatonville community, Janie returns after Tea Cake’s death. As she walks down the road, “the men [notice] …the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume” (2). A plume is a feather that is often used for decoration, so when the men compare her

After Joe dies, Janie “[tears] off the kerchief from her head and [lets] down her plentiful hair” (87). For all of her marriage, Janie was forced to hide her beautiful hair because it made her husband jealous of other men. Once Joe passes away, she is finally free of the control he had on her. Janie forcefully “tears” the cloth that covered her hair, which demonstrates how much she longed to be free from her husband’s control. By tearing off the kerchief, Janie’s hair turns from a symbol of oppression by men to a symbol of freedom. Janie transforms into an independent woman who does not care about meeting the expectations of other people. As Janie walks down the street when she returns to Eatonville, some of the women of the town gossip about her. One woman asks, “What dat ole forty year ole ʼoman doin’ wid her hair swingin’ down her back lak some young gal?” (2). The Eatonville community is very confused as to why Janie has her hair down even though she is in her forties. To them, only young women should have their hair down and it is improper for a woman of Janie’s age to do so. Janie is aware of these expectations, as she lived in this town for many years. She simply does not care and continues to defy the expectations of those around her. To Janie, her hair is a way to express her character and her freedom from the oppression of