Analysis Of Janie In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora N. Hurston

The short story “Sweat,” by Zora Neale Hurston, seems to exemplify the epitome of a bad marriage. Hurston uses foreshadowing and irony to demonstrate the disintegrated relationship between the abusive husband and the diligent wife. Throughout the story, it becomes obvious that the husband does not oblige by the motto, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Hurston’s use of irony and foreshadowing helps reveal the fact that “the good will prevail” and Sykes will finally get what he deserves.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie has allowed us to better understand the restraints that women in society had to deal with in a male dominated society. Her marriage with Logan Killicks consisted of dull, daily routines.  Wedding herself to Joe Starks brought her closer to others, than to herself.  In her final marriage to Vergible Woods, also known as Tea Cake, she finally learned how to live her life on her own.  In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie suffered through many difficult situations that eventually enabled her to grow into an independent person.

Throughout the novel, Janie grows from having everyone telling her what to do, to standing up for herself, and doing what was best for herself in the end. In the Novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie did as her Nanny told her to do not having a second opinion about it. Eventually she stood up for herself when she yelled at Joe on his deathbed. She takes charge of her life completely when she is forced to shoot Tea Cake. Janie moves from being a passive character to taking charge of her life completely.

The author uses negative diction when describing circumstances relating to gender inequality, racism, or the right to marry the person you love, indicating that the author believes these are important issues that need to be fixed. This negative diction is evident in lines such as, “But Joe kept saying that she could do it if she wanted to and he wanted her to use her privileges. That was the rock she was battered against. The business of the headrag irked her endlessly. [...] but he didn’t want Janie to notice it because he saw that she was sullen and resented that. She had no right to be, the way he thought thing out. [...] He ought to box her jaws!” and “You better sense her intuh things then ‘cause Tea Cake can’t do nothin’ but help her spend whut she got. Ah reckon dat’s whut he’s after. Throwin’ away whut Joe Starks worked hard tuh git tuhgether.” However, when Janie talks about Tea Cake and their love, Zora Hurston switches to positive diction, showing that she supports a happy, equal, and loving marriage. This switch in the diction is clearly shown in the lines, “He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.” and “Anyway Tea Cake wouldn’t hurt

This shows that the love between Joe and Janie has slowly left. Janie’s cooking was Joe’s refuge and when Janie messed up it made him very angry. Hurston uses words like soggy and tasteless to help provide an image of the dinner that didn’t quite work out in Janie’s favor, Hurston uses imagery to show the readers how badly the relationship between Joe and Janie has

Hurston “Sweat”. “Ah’m so tired of you Ah don’t know whut to do. Gawd! How Ah hates

How many problematic situations could be prevented if people were to simply talk things out? One of the most vexing aspects of the novel is not Jody’s constant verbal abuse, but Janie’s submission to said abuse. Janie’s reluctance to challenge the men she holds accountable for her problems portrays her character as submissive, a trait that her anxiety will never allow her to get rid of.

But he done showed me where it’s de thought dat makes de difference in ages. If people thinks de same they can make it all right.” (Hurston 115) was how she explained why she liked Tea Cake to Pheoby. The marriages may not have started the same but they all ended the same.

In Zora Neale Hurston’s 1926 short story “Sweat,” Delia Jones a washwoman and house owner is portrayed as an abused wife. Even though she has a job and owns the home she occupies, it does not change the fact that her husband still holds power over her. Women are stereotyped by society as housewives, which make them feel repressed of freedom. Women are repressed by society’s views and are limited in freedom, thus women such as Delia are unable to get what they desire.

In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Starks went through a major transformation which was caused by different events in her life. These events included getting a new husband, moving to a new town, and maturing as she got older. The transformation that took place was both physical and mental. Physically, Janie’s clothing changed from wearing nice, fashionable clothes to wearing overalls that she enjoys working in. Mentally, Janie transformed from being innocent and exploring the wonders of life, such as marriage, to knowing the pains and trials of marriage and life. Throughout the novel, Hurston used Janie to show that one’s outlook on life will transform due to the personality and characteristics of those closest to them, such as their family, spouse, or friends.

She feels like she is just playing the part as a wife. She does the cliché duties of a wife. She works in his store, cleans, and cooks for him. “She wasn’t petal open with him anymore” (Hurston 67).

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston tells the story of Janie and her journey to find herself. She went through a lot meeting different people specifically men to help her understand what she really wanted in her future. Throughout her life, Janie was on a mission to chase her dreams and find her happiness by experiencing new horizons, which suggest that in order to be happy one has to push out of the comfort zone.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie has allowed the audience to better understand the limitations, and emotional challenges that women had to deal with in a male dominated society. Janie’s relationship with her first husband, Logan Killicks, consisted of tedious, daily routines. Her second husband, Joe Starks, brought her closer to others, than to herself. In her third and final marriage to Tea Cake, she eventually learned how to live her life on her own. Janie suffered through many difficult situations that changed her as a person, and her opinion on love.

In her short story “Sweat”, Zora Neale Hurston details the troubled lives of a married African American couple in the deep south. Born and raised in Florida herself, Huston had an excellent perspective on the culture of that time and area. She no doubt saw the situations and heard the strong dialect that she presents in the short story, in which Sykes constantly beats and demeans his wife Delia, who keeps her retorts minimal as to not provoke him further. Sykes is openly dating another woman, yet Delia takes no action, instead focusing on her work and religion. Delia retains her indifference when Sykes is in a dire situation, allowing him to suffer just as she had. Though her actions may seem justified, they present a major irony when considering her devoutness to religion. Delia’s refusal to modify her calm lifestyle despite Sykes’s constant torment reflects her cultural and religious backgrounds and is influenced by Hurston’s own experiences.

In the last stanza Dickinson restates how the married woman of the nineteenth century depends on her husband. Although the most confusing stanzas of the poem, it could be the woman telling us her husband must live longer than her. Dickinson writes that the gun, like most inanimate objects, lives longer than the hunter, like women often live longer than men, but the "Loaded Gun" is useless without the "Owner" there to operate it