ipl-logo

Janie By Hurston: A Feminist Analysis

159 Words1 Page

Since the concept of marriage is inextricably connected with the feminist theory, it is worth analysing its depiction in the novel. As a matter of fact, through the representation of Janie`s marriages, Hurston criticizes marriage as a form of a relationship through which women can buy security and social respect. Since the protagonist does not associate marriage with love, it constitutes a sort of a trap for her. Janie`s grandma and her Nanny, both abused by men in the time of slavery, try to make her marry and gain stability. Nanny, whose daughter was brutally raped by one of the school teachers, tries to secure Janie from violence because, in her understanding, marriage can prevent a woman from becoming a victim of this humiliation. At one

Show More
Related

  • Women's Roles In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1105 Words  | 5 Pages

    The era in which the novel takes place is fraught with old-fashioned ideals. The ideology that women are meant to be subservient to their husbands was prevalent during this time and caused many women to live out their married lives miserably, often being abused both emotionally and physically. Janie is forced to marry at a

    Read More

  • Roles Of Women In Sweat And Their Eyes Were Watching God By Hurston

    679 Words  | 3 Pages

    Evan Wheeler Ms. Gommermann Honors English 10 3 March 2023 Role of Women in Different Works In both her short story, “Sweat,” and book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston brings forth the convention that black women are abused by their husbands; however, she highlights the different ways that the women in each story stand up for themselves. In the short story, “Sweat,” Delia defends herself from the beginning. Conversely, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie hesitates to assert herself until midway through the book. The outcomes of these women standing up for themselves are very similar, but the timing in which they do so are very different.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hurston

    1847 Words  | 8 Pages

    She is to stay in the house and do what women were expected to do, clean and cook. Janie is eager to help outside and Tea Cake is the first guy to let her do so. “So the very next morning Janie got ready to pick beans along with Tea Cake” (Hurston 133). In this day in age, it is rare for a women to work along side a man, they were expected to stay in the house. Janie is infatuated by the idea of a man finally giving her a sense of freedom because her whole life she has been trapped in a world where the guy is the only person in charge and

    Read More

  • Summary Of Janie By Zora Neale

    213 Words  | 1 Pages

    Next, Janie marries Joe Starks and they go to Eatonville, Florida, a town created entirely by and for blacks. When they first arrive into town they quickly realize the town is in desperate need for leadership. Janie volunteers Joe to become major because of his wealth and his strong personality. Joe also buys a grocery store and has Janie work there. At this point in the novel Janie is content, but soon after the true colors of Joe start to emerge.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

    838 Words  | 4 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God, penned by Zora Neale Hurston, bears a major life question: how is happiness reached? Hurston uses Jannie, Nanny, Jody, and Tea Cake’s experiences to show how a person reaches happiness. Hurston’s creation of Janie’s and Nanny’s relationship shows the contradiction of feeling secure and feeling happy. Nanny’s struggles in life edged Janie to her first marriage with Logan Killicks. Nanny was born a slave who had meager rights, which contributed to her being raped and the subsequent birth of her daughter.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hurston Research Paper

    2301 Words  | 10 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, and short story writer and is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston grew up in one of America’s first all-black community’s this gave her a sense of independence, freedom and boldness that many African-Americans especially females did not have during this time, this distinguishes her from other writers of her time and it is clearly reflected in her work. In Hurston’s time she wrote a plethora of short stories, plays, essays and 4 published novels. Of all of the works she published and accomplishments she had, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. This novel tells the story of Janie Crawford a young African-American girl growing

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451 Individual Vs Society Essay

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    During her marriage to Jody Starks, Janie is described as feeling like “... a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but kept beaten down by the wheels” (72). Janie does not feel happy or lively during her marriage. Society, however, feels as though Janie should get married hastily because during the time it was commonly thought that every woman needed a man to look after her. Hurston demonstrates this idea when Nanny tells Janie, “Neither can you stand alone by yo’self” (15).

    Read More

  • Hurston's Journey

    867 Words  | 4 Pages

    The horizon, the place where the sky meets the earth, where the sun emerges with soft light and retreats to rest, the first one who let us know that the earth was round and what looks to be the destination of migrating birds. The horizon has been our farthest and yet closest neighbor, teacher, and home and in Hurston’s captivating novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she uses this powerful symbol to represent in its great expanse, a yearning that keeps restless spirits in flight. No one can see over the horizon and so it remains an ambiguous destination characterized only by the feeling of satisfaction. Though few take up in its pursuit, everyone has their own unique horizon; Janie’s is to find love but not just any love as she comes to learn

    Read More

  • Zora Hurston Misguided Thoughts

    1022 Words  | 5 Pages

    Misguided Thoughts There are many different ways to end a story by including the way the plot is driven from one direction to the other while keeping the suspense in motion. The writer often surprises the reader with something completely different than what was expected to happen in the events of the storyline. A twist can be manipulated in the story to prevent any obvious predictions to disclose any further revelations in the plot. The use of a plot twist can come in different ways, such as revealing a little bit of the character traits, while other times the twist can be subtle by altering the beliefs of the reader through misconception towards the ending of the story.

    Read More

  • Hurston-Personal Narrative

    709 Words  | 3 Pages

    The feel of sand reminds me of ludington michigan. Although it might rained every time I went there it was one of my favorite camping trips ever. ludington was a beautiful place to camp, r.v., and visit. It was one of those places where you wish you could stay longer after every day. One day my family decided to camping for a couple of days, because we had nothing to do for that week.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay

    697 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women are confined to single roles and are expected to be submissive and respectful. When Joe married Janie, he forced her into a role of subservience. Hurston indicates that Joe attempted to mold Janie into what white women do on a daily basis which is to “sit on their high stools on the porches of their house and relax.” Doing this, Joe believes he is granting his wife all the wishes she ever wanted while neglecting the fact that Janie takes pleasure in the simple things in life like chatting, laughing, fishing and dancing. “Janie [especially] loved the conversation[s]” that took place on the porch and sometimes “she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge” because he didn’t want her to talk after those “trashy people” (Page 104).

    Read More

  • Lost Innocence In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1030 Words  | 5 Pages

    Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.” This realization made by Janie supports one of the biggest themes in this novel, which is that the concept of innocence and womanhood can’t exist at the same time. Because Janie finally lets go of her “childish fantasy”, her innocence is lost and she is now a woman. The theme of lost innocence in exchange for womanhood is also prevalent in Hurston’s story Sweat. This idea is one of the reasons that Sykes and Delia’s relationship begins to fall apart when we meet them.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Janie's Hair In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Hurston

    750 Words  | 3 Pages

    While married Janie had to conform to what her husband wanted her to be like, look like, and act like. Janie’s hair is another powerful symbol in the novel. It symbolizes her power and freedom within society. It is what most of the men characters noticed about her right away. Her hair was so beautiful that while being married to Joe Starks, he made her wear it in a hair rag.

    Read More

  • Janie's Inward Struggle In 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'?

    660 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hurston describes Janie’s quest to finding love and to recovering herself, though

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching

    118 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, she uses her characters to challenge the gender roles of that time. In her book, women are the submissive and weaker gender. They cannot gain power without a influential or wealthy man backing her up which is usually connected by marriage. Considering since women have no powers in society, in marriages they also don’t have much power, therefore the husband suppresses their wives and doesn’t give them any freedom. Because the females are scared of the males, they don't fight back and just keep it in.

    Read More

More about Janie By Hurston: A Feminist Analysis

Open Document