Hurston: Stark's Manhood Of Pride

1. This quote shows unusual behavior for the time period present. In the Victorian times, it was the man’s duty to take care of the wife and children, or in other words- to take charge of the family in general. It was a sign of strength for men. Since Mrs. Joe is the one taking care of the family, which was commonly the husband’s job in this era, Joe is considered a weakness to his society and to his wife. This is because he is not taking charge for his family. The determination and strength coming from Mrs. Joe was also not very common either for women of the time. (109 words)

Overall, the short story displays a great way of using irony by Zora Neale Hurston. It may be how Missie May shows betrayal when she cheats on Joe or how her undying love and loyalty present the theme of marriage by making sure Joe’s needs are met. Joe shows representations of themes as he forgives Missie May when she thinks he don’t love her “no mo.” (212) Otis D. Slemmons, reminds the reader that appearances are not what they may seem.

During one of Joe and Janie’s arguments, Joe says, “ T’aint no use in getting mad, Janie, ‘cause Ah mention you ain’t no young gal no more’. Nobody in heah ain’t lookin’ for no wife outa yuh. Old as you is.” (pg.79. ). Joe was alway putting Janie down for her age. He didn’t want anyone to be looking at her and he wanted to be in control. Once they argued, Janie stood up to him and “ Joe Starks didn’t know the words for all of this, but he knew the feeling. So he struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store.” Hitting Janie made him feel in control, but she was in plenty of pain. Janie tried to stand up, but she ended up being in more

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

In Janie’s marriage with Jody Starks, her hair is representative of her power when Jody represses it and when he indirectly liberates it by dying. At first, Jody draws Janie in with his own authority, self-confidence, and good looks. Janie seems infatuated with these characteristics; yet, ironically, she comes to loathe them, since she realizes that authority creates an air of condescension, self-confidence causes arrogance, and good looks eventually become mundane. Jody, in addition, seems to be extremely misogynistic and treats women like property. He accordingly believes that oppressing them as he sees fit is an acceptable manner of treatment, which is shown when he forces Janie to constantly wear a head-rag in

Interestingly, it seems that Janie has more power than Killicks in their relationship, in the sense that her words and actions send Killicks into fits of “resentful agony” (31) and cause Killicks to react so desperately that he ends up threatening to kill Janie with an ax, and seconds later, to cry in front of his wife (31-32). Janie leaves Killicks not on the premise that she can take care of herself, or even that she is in love with Starks, but that Starks will make her happier than will Killicks. The ending of Janie’s and Stark’s relationship, therefore, marks not Janie’s growing sense of self-sufficiency, but a small increase in self-growth in the sense that she has a clearer idea of what she is looking for in love.

Joe forbids Janie from taking part in the conversation with the men about the mule. She reacts strongly one day, when the men mistreat and tease the old mule. “They oughta be shamed uh theyselves! Teasin’ dat poor brute beast lak they is! Done been worked tuh death; done had his disposition ruint wid mistreatment, and now they got tuh finish devilin’ ‘im tuh death. Wisht Ah had mah way wid ‘em ali.” (56) Janie feels sympathy and compassion towards the mule because she has gone through the same difficulties as the mule has. She thinks back when her Nanny referred to black women being the mule of the world. She is amplifying the fact that women in general, are enslaved by the world.

The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, follows a young girl named Janie Mae Crawford, and her quest of adulthood and discovering who she truly is through her choices. When Janie was a kid, she sat under a pear tree dreaming of what her life should be, but as a black woman growing up in America in the 20th century in a white community, she faces many hardships of not being able to express her thoughts and opinions. In addition to this, she has a quick transition into adulthood from the absence of her parents, with only her grandmother, Nanny, watching over her. As a result, Nanny forces Janie in an unfulfilling relationship with Logan Killicks, who is sought as security for Janie at such a young age, however to follow her dream, she left Logan

Joe marries her so he can have a pretty wife by his side who he can demonstrate his superiority over. As the single most powerful man in Eatonville, the town that he took initiative of, he expects his wife to present herself as above everyone else. This means she can’t participate in regular talk with the people of the town, and she has to obey Joe’s commands because she is his property. However, towards the end of Joe’s life, Janie publicly rants her true feelings to Joe. This decision shows her growth towards self realization. She defends herself against Joe’s insults of her being old. Janie finally acts out, expressing her feelings towards Joe’s unfair treatment to her. Her strength in acting for herself begins to emerge once she forces Joe to listen to her feelings of their marriage. This is evident when she tears off her handkerchief and lets down her hair. This is symbolic of her freedom. Joe forced her to tie up her hair for his sake, but now releasing it, Janie shows that she will no longer let other people control

This soon goes Southward, and he soon forces her to work in the store-which she hates. He does not believe that she is capable of thinking for herself and that “Somebody got to think for women” because “the sho don’t think none for theirselves.” (71; Ch. 6) This shows Jodie’s feeling of superiority of men because he believes that women are incapable of thinking for themselves much like animals. They get in many fights, one time even progressing to the point that Jodie slaps Janie.

Gender roles are also a huge aspect in her life. Janie is taught many lessons from her Nanny. One of the lessons Janie remembers is the pain and hardship Nanny was put through as a slave. Working all her life Nanny explains to Janie “ de nigger woman is de mule ud de world so fur as Ah can see” (Hurston 14). Although the role of men is to usually carry the load, Janie learns the women carry out the tough tasks. This statement shapes Janie because she realizes women are going to have to get down and dirty sometimes. Janie first realizes this as Logan’s wife. She is made to work in the fields and Logan plans on her working the plow before to long. Janie does not like that fact she is not being treated like a prized possession; however, she experiences the opposite effect as well. Janie faces an internal conflict about how to act when being forced to work with Logan. As stated in An Introduction to Fiction an internal conflict is a “central struggle between [a character and their own mind] in a story” (K+G 714). The relationship she has with Logan challenges her to find within herself to be subservient to someone else. After leaving Logan for Joe Starks, Janie becomes the mayor’s untouchable wife. Joe considers being a “mayor’s wife [as] something different…you ain’t goin’ off in all dat mess uh commonness” (Hurston 60). Now Janie holds a position beneath her husband. She is the mayor’s wife, which

But she ended up not being happy with Joe Stark either because he was an abusive man that treated Janie like an object instead of a human being. Then she had her last husband Tea Cake which was her best marriage so far but it had come to an end when he became rabid and Janie had to shoot him. She has been married three time and all of the times that she has been married weren’t good. In the beginning of the book she explains to her friend, Pheoby, she has to focus on herself because so many people are criticizing her for leaving and marring Joe, and Tea

Hurston uses the actions of characters to establish the theme that one person cannot completely diminish another’s free will. Joe wanting to control Janie creates a battle against her desire for free will and a life created through her own decisions. For example, Joe shows his need to control Janie as he “ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Hurston 55). Joe is a very powerful man, even in the eyes of his own wife. He forces Janie to wear hair ties around the store against her own free will. This shows his initial need to overpower and control Janie extinguishing her free will. However, Janie’s free will eventually reigns victorious over Joe’s free will as he becomes very sick and less powerful. As his

While the story is set in the south, we can relate it to how marriage becomes more difficult due to the background they come from. One theme identified throughout the story was the institution of marriage. In the beginning, Missie May and Joe seem to have it all in spite of the fact that they are poor. Hurston describes their home by stating that “The fence and house were whitewashed. The porch and steps scrubbed white,” this shows us they had an easy way of interacting with one another by how white symbolizes cleanness, peaceful and purity. Things start to become a little off, when a newcomer Otis D. Slemmons comes into town. He comes in and threatens to ruin everything between Missie May and Joe. Joe tells Missie May “Ah wants you to be de first ladies to walk in dere and have some set down.” This is a form of their own regional dialect, the way they speak says much of their character language between one another. Joe begins to realize that Slemmons wants to encounter Missie May as his own. Joe then starts to admire Missie May and wants her to look sexually attractive towards Slemmons only to show her off to him. As Joe and Missie May enter the ice cream parlor, she starts to play the role of a trophy wife. At this point, the story takes a tragic turn down when Slemmons starts to chase after her, but only promising money in exchange for sex. Analyzing Missie May as a character, Slemmons explicated her appearances and rated her as “thirty-eight and two,” by this we can encounter how Missie May exposes herself as a fine lady. She wants to have a more luxurious life and

As a mixed woman in the southern United States, Janie had always had rules and others’ expectations thrust upon her, under the guise of either love or judgement. For example, although Nanny intended for Janie to find security and eventual happiness through an arranged marriage as a result of her own tragic life experiences, this backfired, as Janie was only acquired those at forty, after two failed marriages. Her late second husband Joe Starks imposed societal rules on her, often expressing how women should stay in the background of matters. After accepting his position as mayor of Eatonville, Joe quickly took away Janie’s attempt at making her own comments on the matter by saying“[t]hank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech- makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home.'" (Hurston 43). Opinions