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Gender Roles In Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Morgan King McGuire English II March 12, 2015 Does Gender Determine Superiority? In her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of gender roles and their significance in African American culture during the 1930’s. Hurston shows the importance males put on feeling superior to their female partners and forcing them to be submissive. Joe Starks attempts to fit Janie into a submissive role by silencing her in conver-sations, beating her within their house walls, and treating her as an object of his possession. Hurston establishes this early on in the novel, so that Janie's personal growth and development as a woman is evident throughout her journey. In the 1930s, it was believed that women should do the tasks required of them. Wom-en could have been compared to mules. This is shown when readers see how much influence Janie’s husband Joe has on what she is permitted to do, such as tasks and conversations. “Janie loved the conversation …show more content…

At the end of chapter six she finally says what is on her mind, “Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks to and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was…and how surprised y’all is goin’ tuh be if you ever find out you don’t know half as much ‘bout us as you think you do. It’s so easy to make yo’self out God Al-mighty when you aint’ got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens” (Hurston 75). This shocked Joe Janie and for the first time Janie expresses how she feels that God does in fact speak to both men and women. She is informing Joe of two things. The first is she believes with her heart that God listens to women and that they are not mules regardless of the poor treatment they may have endured. Secondly, Joe needs to not believe that he is a god. Janie in this moment is finally prepared and ready to fight for her

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