The Thorns of Thralldom and a Bloom of Dissent
By: Joseph Riviera
An attack on personal independence and an issuance of the stereotypical gender roles seem to permeate the very bounds of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. After viewing chapters one through ten of the novel with a somewhat feminist lens, these aggressive and dominating truths protrude through the oculus of insight. Whilst acknowledging the socio-cultural conditions of the period, the protagonist’s struggle for self-identity and the performance of an otherwise boundary pushing role have peaked my interest.
The selection of the novel can be dissected into three main periods. The initial phase is marked as the pre-marriage period, in which the heroine, Janie, is depicted as a blossoming youth with dreams of love and passion during her period of sexual awakening. The period begins with an assault on Janie’s personal independence by her grandmother as she begins planning the young girl’s future for her. This forces Janie into a marriage without the captivity of love and passion that she desires. Furthermore her grandmother wants her to fulfill the stereotypical role of a wife and be subservient and respectful to a husband Janie doesn’t even want to wed. The exercise of this arranged marriage is an attack on Janie’s personal independence due to her grandmother’s belief that she does not have the capacity to choose her own future and marital choices.
Following the initial period, the seed of insurrection begins to bloom as Janie is wed to her first husband Logan Killicks. During this period, Janie is participating within her arranged marriage with the hope of one day loving this older man to whom she was shackled. Initially she is only asked to care for home and bed -- that is to say, perform the stereotypical roles of a wife.
She is somewhat willing, until her husband decides to add additional duties outside of the home, in turn fueling the protest of their marriage. The attack on Janie’s independence within this period is clearly the will of her husband. Logan does not allow Janie to travel out of the homestead and pressures her to perform labor intensive duties. I believe this fuels Janie’s mounting unhappiness, in turn blossoming the flower of rebellion, resulting in her first independent choice - which was to run away with a man of better prospect.
The third period begins with Janie running away with and wedding Joe Starks. Lo and behold, Joe Starks was a man of vision and voice, but his narcissistic tune was deafening. Initially, for Janie, this marriage was formed on freewill and happiness until mounting issues doomed her marriage. Joe wanted her to be very feminine, “the bell cow,” and to perform the stereotypical duties of a house wife with an added amount of pressure because of his needs for grandeur. I believe Stark used Janie to maximize his status and in so doing removed all of her independence through physical and intellectual isolation.
To conclude, Janie’s character is that of tenacity and hardiness. The relationship between her mother, grandmother, and herself is very estranged yet also closely related. Both her mother and grandmother were victims of rape. I believe too that Janie is a victim of rape; not in a sexual sense, but in the sense that her right to free will and choices have been violated and used to feed the appetite of the men in her life while all along forcing her to perform subservient and stereotypical gender roles.
By: Joseph Riviera
An attack on personal independence and an issuance of the stereotypical gender roles seem to permeate the very bounds of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. After viewing chapters one through ten of the novel with a somewhat feminist lens, these aggressive and dominating truths protrude through the oculus of insight. Whilst acknowledging the socio-cultural conditions of the period, the protagonist’s struggle for self-identity and the performance of an otherwise boundary pushing role have peaked my interest.
The selection of the novel can be dissected into three main periods. The initial phase is marked as the pre-marriage period, in which the heroine, Janie, is depicted as a blossoming youth with dreams of love and passion during her period of sexual awakening. The period begins with an assault on Janie’s personal independence by her grandmother as she begins planning the young girl’s future for her. This forces Janie into a marriage without the captivity of love and passion that she desires. Furthermore her grandmother wants her to fulfill the stereotypical role of a wife and be subservient and respectful to a husband Janie doesn’t even want to wed. The exercise of this arranged marriage is an attack on Janie’s personal independence due to her grandmother’s belief that she does not have the capacity to choose her own future and marital choices.
Following the initial period, the seed of insurrection begins to bloom as Janie is wed to her first husband Logan Killicks. During this period, Janie is participating within her arranged marriage with the hope of one day loving this older man to whom she was shackled. Initially she is only asked to care for home and bed -- that is to say, perform the stereotypical roles of a wife.
She is somewhat willing, until her husband decides to add additional duties outside of the home, in turn fueling the protest of their marriage. The attack on Janie’s independence within this period is clearly the will of her husband. Logan does not allow Janie to travel out of the homestead and pressures her to perform labor intensive duties. I believe this fuels Janie’s mounting unhappiness, in turn blossoming the flower of rebellion, resulting in her first independent choice - which was to run away with a man of better prospect.
The third period begins with Janie running away with and wedding Joe Starks. Lo and behold, Joe Starks was a man of vision and voice, but his narcissistic tune was deafening. Initially, for Janie, this marriage was formed on freewill and happiness until mounting issues doomed her marriage. Joe wanted her to be very feminine, “the bell cow,” and to perform the stereotypical duties of a house wife with an added amount of pressure because of his needs for grandeur. I believe Stark used Janie to maximize his status and in so doing removed all of her independence through physical and intellectual isolation.
To conclude, Janie’s character is that of tenacity and hardiness. The relationship between her mother, grandmother, and herself is very estranged yet also closely related. Both her mother and grandmother were victims of rape. I believe too that Janie is a victim of rape; not in a sexual sense, but in the sense that her right to free will and choices have been violated and used to feed the appetite of the men in her life while all along forcing her to perform subservient and stereotypical gender roles.