The Theme Of Gender Roles In “Their Eyes Were Watching God”

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Title/Section Submission Date The theme of Gender Roles in “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” I. Introduction After reading “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” composed by Zora Neale Hurston, I chose to analyze the theme of gender roles, along with their impact on African America civilization during the 1930s. In the sixth chapter of Hurston’s novel, the importance placed by men on feeling senior to their female consorts and compelling them in a subservience role is openly exhibited. Joe Starks in this chapter tries to fit Janie into a self-abasing role by hushing her in discussions, beating her, and treating her like an object he possesses. This cogent sentiment that Hurston establishes early in the novel acts as the driving force for Janie to determine that as a woman, development and personal growth will occur once she decamps from the mold Joe places on her. II. Discussion Much like mules, thoughts that women should perform the tasks required of them and not attempt to exceed their positions as subservient consorts is exemplified when we see the influence, Joe, Janie’s husband has on the conversations she is allowed to partake in and the tasks she is permitted to undertake. “Janie enjoyed the conversations, and at times she devised good narratives on the mule; however, Joe had restricted her from indulging” (Hurston, 53). Joining a conversation about the mule and its interment is important to Janie reason being, she strongly relates to it. Being connected to Joe, Janie feels like the mule previously described by her Nanny as the workhorse of all humanity. Janie feels like she is Joe’s workhorse and desires to see the mule unbound from man’s unjustness. Joe eventually liberates the mule from its harsh owner and lets it die peacefully, an act that makes him appear mightier than he is. However, Joe never “frees” Janie. Janie has to outlive Joe before she can rampage and riot to be liberated from the gender role established for her. Joe’s feelings that women are objects possessed by men are exemplified he witnesses other men coveting his wife. “Her hair will not be openly displayed in the store” (Hurston, 55). “She was present in the store for him to glance at, and not others” (Hurston, 55). Here, Joe reveals that Janie’s purpose is pleasing him and him only, and he will take it further and demand that she wraps her hair in a certain way in aims on not distracting the daily customers. Joe feels threatened knowing that Janie is a fine-looking woman while he is rapidly advancing in age. Hurston exhibits the thought that Janie should aspire to want what white women do on a daily basis; sit and relax on the porches of their house. “Everyone was enjoying themselves at the mule bating. Everyone except Janie” (Hurston, 56); this exhibits how Joe requires Janie to appear as one living the white woman’s dream of acting civilized and sitting at home because that is the role her gender should be affiliated with and because it aids him in being painted as an authoritative town leader. When Janie pleads with Joe to take her along with him (Hurston, 60), it displays her desire to discard the foreordained gender roles of women in the 1930s. Janie wa...