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Their Eyes Are Watching God Analysis

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Mino Tupou
Mrs. Picetti
English 1, Period B
6 May 2016

What is expected: The Role of Women in Hurston's Their Eyes are Watching God

A model is a person with a role either to promote, display, or advertise commercial products or to serve as a visual aide for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography (dictionary.com).Models are often recognized for their beauty and ability to transform themselves to please their audience. The models are on display, objectified and secondary to the products they are selling. Similarly, in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes are Watching God Janie, a capable, determined woman, is silenced by her husband and is forced to be on display. Through Janie’s roles in her two marriages, …show more content…

In Janie’s relationship with Jody she struggles with having a voice and never getting to make decisions in her marriage. When Jody makes a speech at the lighting of the lamp Tony and the town ask if Janie wants to say something but Jody speaks for Janie and insisted that “ [his] wife don't know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin. [And] [that] he never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (Hurston, 43). Janie is silenced in her marriage with Jody and Jody feels that men are supposed to be the dominant spouse. In this scene Janie doesn't even get to say a few words about the town her and Jody have created and is also embarrassed by the whole town that the reason she can't say a speech is simply because women don't know anything about speech making. When Janie thinks about her place in her relationship with Jody, Janie notices that she “the wife of the mayor was not just another woman as she had supposed. She slept with authority and so she was part of it in the town” (46). Janie doesn't have a voice and she notices in this scene that she has to act a certain way because the role her husband plays. However even though Janie has to play a role and has authority she will always be silenced by Jody. After Janie realizes that she has no voice in her relationship with Jodie she starts to connect the things Jody does that ultimately says he is more important …show more content…

When the town Eatonville was built Jodie makes Janie work in the local store but when Jodie sees that other men are flirting with her because of her hair Jody “[o]rders Janie to tie up her hair around the store. That was all. She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others” (55). This scene emphasizes how Jody wants Janie to be in his life for him to look at and only needs her for her beauty. Janie is also described to be forced into putting her hair up which allows no freedom. Ultimately this scene shows how Jodie's needs come first in his relationship with Jody. When Jody and Janie’s mule dies the whole town gathers together to have a funeral for the mule but Janie can not go. Jody explains to Janie that “de mayors wife is somethin’ different [and] that the town is liable tuh need me tuh say uh few words over de carcass” (60). This scene explains the role of being the mayor's wife is to stay home when it comes to a man's job. Also that since Janie didn't go she played the role of the “wife” and doing whatever makes her husband happy. After Jody dies Janie meets a new guy named Tea Cake who she marries. Janie knows that Tea cake is her true love but also knows that nobody is perfect. When Sop-De-Bottom and Tea Cake talk about Janie Tea Cake explains how “ Janie is uh high time woman and useter things. Ah didn't get her outa de middle uh de road. Ah got

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