Feminism in Their Eyes Were Watching God - Essay Example

Feminism in Their Eyes Were Watching God In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Neale Hurston presents gender stereotypes in the African American culture. Right from the beginning of the novel, readers are treated to the perception of gender in the African American culture. As Lois Tyson explains in Critical Theory Today, “Traditional gender roles cast men as rational, strong, protective and decisive; they cast women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing and submissive.” (85). We see traditional gender roles through the manner in which Joe Stark treats Janie. Joe, in this case, represents the robust male character of the American culture through his commandeering actions. Janie, on the other hand, represents the submissive character of the female gender. In most occasions, she is submissive to Joe till towards the end of the play when she decides to go out by herself and gain independence. A critical analysis of the novel, however, reveals a feminist approach by the author. A stereotype of the male gender is seen where Joe Starks tries to fit Janie into the female submissive role by silencing her in their conversation, beating her up in their house and in general treating her like he owns her. This is evident where Hurston states that “Janie loved the conversation and sometimes she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge. He didn't want her talking after such trashy people” (54).  The novel exemplifies the perception that women should only partake in the roles that the society expects them of representing men. This is seen in the amount of influence that Joe has on Janie being that he is her husband. Rather than assisting her to pursue her ambitions, he expects her to play the role of a mayor’s wife. He controls the conversations in which she is supposed to indulge in. As the author states, “Joe had forbidden her to indulge” (53). Janie’s grandma compares the African woman to the mule and describes it as a workhorse of all humankind after she spots her kissing Taylor. She states, “De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.” (14) With Joe, Janie feels her freedom capped like that of the mule and desires to be liberated from his control. Joe’s feeling that women are supposed to be men’s objects of possession is further seen when other men start lusting for Janie. He feels that Janie was in the store for him to admire and not for other men to look at (Hurston 55). Through these thoughts, it is clear that he believes that Janie is there as an object meant to please him and not other men and that she belongs home, Joe says, "She's uh woman and her place is in de home." (43). He swears to do all he can to dictate how his wife should put her hair so as not to distract other men. The author states, "This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn't seem sensible at all. This was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was" (55). Janie’s grandma wanted her to live like the white women who seemed to be civilized. They sat on high stools and relaxed in their porches. The author writes, “So sittin' on porches lak de white madam looked lak uh mighty fine thing tuh her. Dat's whut she wanted for me—don't keer whut it cost.” (114). However, Joe makes that sound like a dream. He tries to confine her to her gender role as a woman believing that it will make him to be seen as powerful in town. Janie desires to abandon her predetermined roles such as working in the store as directed by Joe. She pleads with him to allow her do what she loves and not what people perceive to make a woman happy. It happens that Janie’s happiness does not emanate from the typical roles of a woman that the society defines. All through the novel, Hurston displays male superiority. Whenever their spouses make a mistake, it is not unusual for them to be beaten. The author writes that “He [Joe] just slapped her [Janie] around a bit to show he was boss” (147). If a meal is not cooked to their liking, this could lead to a domestic assault. It is a usual belief among men that women are ignorant and as such should be told what to do at a given instance. This makes it clearer that men feel that their gender is superior to that of their spouses. The superiority of men is seen through the context in which the author puts women. For instance, even though the author intends Janie to be a heroic woman, her voice, in most instances, is dominated by men. The male superiority is also depicted through the author’s depiction of violence towards the female gender. Joe does not only feel that women are inferior, but also alludes that their reasoning capacity is the same just like an idiotic chicken. Joes says “somebody got to think for women and chillum and chicken and cows” (110). At last, Janie manages to break free from her perceived role as a traditional mole, who is expected to do whatever she is told and is supposed to speak only when spoken to. She manages to speak up to Joe after his sexist remarks which are taken by Jim Stone as gospel. She says, “Sometimes God gits familiar wid us women folks too and talks his inside business” (117). By this, she emphasizes that God accords an equal hearing to women and that they are not like the chicken he compares them to be. The author states that “Her old thoughts were going to come in handy now, but new words would have to be made and said to fit them.” (32). This is stated when Janie gets married to Joe. By stating this, the author implies that women need men to achieve their targets just like Janie thought that by being married to Joe, her life would be covered by flower dust. This, however, does not turn out as expected and in the end, she feels relieved after breaking off Joe’s control. This shows the empowerment of the female gender and that they do not need men’s approval or support to achieve their targets. Zora Hurston’s novel does a perfect job of bringing out what men such as Joe felt of women. Through her relationship with Joe, the metaphor of the mule and her dialogue, Hurston portrays Janie as a strong woman who was ready to stand on her own and fight for her rights contrary to the common belief of other women in maintaining the status quo. She refuses to be trampled upon by men. At the end of the chapter, she transforms from a passive woman to an active independent lady. The author, through this conclusion empowers the female gender, letting women know that their potential lies within themselves and that they should not over-rely on men for their success. The story is an inspiration to the reader irrespective of the gender since it alludes that one can never succeed if he or she chooses to live in the shadows of another. Works Cited Hurston, Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. HarperCollins, Mar 17, 2009 - Fiction - 256 pages. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. Routledge, Sep 10, 2012 - Literary Criticism - 464 pages. Read More