The Role Of Women In Hurston's 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'

Sexism and feminism are controversial issues, that is why they are a global issue in today’s society. People who argue sexism does not exist tend to focus only on the wires of the issue in relation to a birdcage. Like Frye said, “...step back...and take a macroscopic view of the whole cage, that you can see why the bird does not go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment”(Frye). So if people expand their focus to the world it is overwhelmingly apparent that in many countries women are second class subjects. Sexism is still a problem which feminists in our society today are still trying to fix. Through her use of characterization, symbolism and changes in relationships, Zora Neale Hurston argues in Their Eyes Were Watching God which is widely viewed as a feminist novel that even though American society is majority sexist and are uninformed about feminism, feminism will ultimately overtake but will not be enough to eradicate the sexism that has been embedded in all aspects of our daily lives. As Janie retrieves her independence after being maltreated by men, one must know that the novel cannot simply be regarded as a feminist novel because there are aspects that dispute with talks about feminist theory. The novel grapples in a way with feminist ideals of equality of men and women and traditional gender roles which is referred to as sexism.

Janie doesn't love Logan, but that doesn't matter to Nanny, as long as her grandchild is protected. When Janie comes to tell her grandmother that she still doesn't love Logan after three months of marriage, Nanny says, "you come heah wid yo' mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo' bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis' Killicks, and you come worryin' me 'bout love" (Hurston 22) Nanny doesn't care whether or not Janie's in love, so long as she doesn't have to worry about her financial situation. The main goal of the ex-slaves was to be able to survive in the world, and that meant money to pay for their survival. Many of them either stayed with their old masters, bought farms of their own, or moved N orth in pursuit of other vocations (Hoobler 51). Nanny wanted Janie to be able to survive in her community. She tells Janie that "De n----- woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah kin see. Ah been prayin' fuh it tuh be different wid you" (Hurston 14). Nanny may want society to change for Janie, but she still won't let her granddaughter make her own decisions about her life. Nanny is trying to follow her dream of affluence and true happiness through her granddaughter, Janie. Many blacks did this by moving North for better work and living standards. What they

was like during the Harlem Renaissance and is one the most famous writings of 20th century literature. Hurston’s writing provided a feminist voice in a movement that was dominated by men, we can see this through her character Janie Crawford, the protagonist of the story and her search for unconditional, true, and fulfilling love. She meets different men throughout the story and experiences different types of love throughout her life while at the same time seeking personal independence as well as her own personal freedom.

In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston is about a young woman named Janie Crawford who goes on a journey of self discovery to find her independence. The book touches on many themes like gender roles, relations, independence and racism however racism isn’t mainly focused upon in the book which some writers felt should have been. Some felt that the representation of black characters should have been better role models. Zora Hurston’s novel wasn’t like other black literature. The challenges of what black writers had to face in representing black culture and history were manly focuses on racism and the representation of black culture and history however Zora Hurston novel was about independence and turned away from the stereotypical structure of black literature; focusing more on black women has to deal with in a patriarchy structure. Which can be shown by Janie’s relationships with her grandmother, Logan Killlicks, Jody Stark , and Tea Cake. In the world she was living in we learned how much her world was dominated by male oppression and so Janie tries to separate herself from that.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, in the late nineteen hundreds and early twentieth century, Zora Neale Hurston portrays the life of a black woman trapped by patriarchal society, to make known the oppression and sexism imposed on Janie. During this time a women gained power through their outer beauty. The duties of women shown as submission to aggressive, manipulative, and power seeking men. Janie, however, had no power and is viewed as a memento and for sexual purposes. Through the substantiation of women, the men take away their power. Dominated by the rich white males, the black men have their power taken away by a racist society. The white man empowers all population and black women were force to bottom

At some point in any person’s life he or she will be the victim or victimizer of stereotyping. This all too familiar aspect of society is one of the most unfortunate occurrences in life. For many, the harsh generalizations that stereotypes are based on crush the spirit of free will. Yet there are some brave people who choose to counter these stereotypes and live life as they choose, despite what judgments may come. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character, Janie—an African American woman of the 1930’s, struggles with accepting the stereotypes that affect her life. She tries to fit in with them at the cost of her happiness and self-expression. Through her revelations and life changes that defy these

In the novel, Their Eyes Are Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston lays bare the many faces of feminism and patriarchal ideology. Janie’s relationships show how feminism ideals and patriarchy thinking were normal within the African American culture in the slavery era. In many instances, Janie worked against the very ideas that an oppressive patriarchal society represents. The life dreamed of does not become a reality for most women. Although Janie saw a different future for herself. Those closest to Janie influenced her decisions and actions as she succumb to the patriarchal thinking. She was also empowered by those same influences.

One of Zora Hurston’s greatest accomplishment in regards to ‘Their Eyes were Watching God’ is making Janie a character that is relatable despite race, gender, or religion. As a part of being human, we grow older and begin to wonder - begin to question. What does life have to offer? What is life meant to be? Where am I meant to go? Janie like most people believed that her life’s canvas would be painted by receiving the feeling of true love from a significant other. She yearned for the love like that between a bee and a pear tree. A love that she believed would be the key to having a happy fulfilled life. As Janie goes through life searching for love and through the losses that she suffers, she, in turn, finds the keys to actual self-awareness:

Many different controversial topics like racism and sexism are seen throughout Zora Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. For example, critics show that sexism is shown by rebellion in Janie 's life. According to Caldwell, Janie rebels against her grandmother’s beliefs and wishes and leaves her chosen husband for someone who she thinks is going to give her a better life(2). According to Curren, Janie and Tea Cakes go through racism all through life until their last move towards the horizon. They move into a new community in Florida in the Everglades where color does not matter(1-2). Because the elements of sexism and racism are so strong throughout the work, many times the themes overshadow other themes. For instance, Tracy Bealer theorizes that Their Eyes Were Watching God represents the concerns of African American love(1). Surprisingly, she is not alone in her belief. Many critics are beginning to demonstrate how Hurston’s novel can be read as a work that explores different aspects of love: fake love ,abusive love, controlling love, and true love. The relationships between Janie and her husbands demonstrate this idea that love is a driving theme of the work.

Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a famous novel written by Zora Neale Hurston who grew up in the early 20th century during the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston examines the race and gender problems through the view of the main character Janie Crawford. In the novel, Janie is on a mission to find her true love. She narrates the story by providing the experience of three particular marriages. Janie experiences intense sexism in each relationship and deals with many hardships early in the book, but eventually finds her true worth of being more than just the stereotypical woman. Hurston is commonly criticized and referred to as a ‘feminist’ due to exactly what much of her work is about; Woman breaking free of the social norms imposed on them. Feminism is defined as “The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality to men”. It is the belief that men and woman are equal. This novel represents that exact definition. Given the time it was written, It can be easily argued that the book is simply a feminist novel about the strength of woman and the discovery that they do not need men.

At first Janie believes she can make herself happy in any situation. Later on she realizes that if a man is not willing to give her what she wants in a relationship that she will just leave him. She begins as a very dependent character, but then she grows confidence and courage throughout the book.

Janie, a character who had seemed stuck in a degrading relationship that got worse as the days went has shown tremendous character development in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. As time passed on after Janie’s husband passed away, Janie’s true character was cut off from the suppression that her husband, Joel, put upon her. Through changes in her daily life, attitude and appearance once can see that Janie had time to reflect on her past and has created a desirable version of herself. As Janie finds her new self, she comes to realize how she was being held back by her grandmother, Hurston incorporates the use of folklore allowing the reader to perceive what Janie is feeling.

Less than a century ago, women were seen as no more than a pretty face and a pair of breasts. Their sole purpose was simply to please their husband’s every need. Zora Neale Hurston exploited this slave-like behavior in her book ,Their eyes are watching God , as a result of men seeing their women as property. She used her novel to proclaim her views on the injustices that women faced. Hurston’s commentary was expressed by the use of her main character and narrator, Janie. She utilized her literary skills to characterize Janie with her feminist mindset that women could and will survive without men.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston shows that women can only gain power through powerful men. There are many instances in the novel where women are place into a position of domesticity and sexual objection by their husbands. These men impose their will on their wives by either limiting their actions or insulting their sexuality and appearance in the case of Janie and Logan. As a result, these women are looked down upon when they demonstrate traditional male characteristics such as ambition and authority and are deemed unattractive or too masculine by society. On the other hand, society expects men to always be in a position of dominance. In the novel, when Janie and Joe’s relationship start to take more violent route, Joe begins

“He wanted her submission and he’d keep on fighting until he felt he had it.” The consistent women oppression and need to make less of women is just one of the motifs in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston have been sought as non-significant to how they relate to real-world issues and topics. The novel however, contains many values that are important to study in schools, as they show the true struggles of women, more specifically black women, in the United States directly after the freeing of slaves, many of which are also very applicable to life today. Hurston displays the hardships of this time period for a young black women through the life of Janie by addressing her struggles with gender equality, love, and