Joe's Pride In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, introduces Joe Starks into the novel as a controlling, yet successful man who falls under the control of his own problematic characteristics. These traits influence actions of his which work for and against his favor. Joe is notably prideful; however, his insecurities cause him to verbally and physically mistreat Janie because he feels threatened by her better attributes.
Joe’s pride is the drive for his ambition. It motivates him to do various activities that will bring him success, recognition, and admiration from his peers, such as when “he [unwraps] [the street lamp] and [has] it wiped off carefully and put up on a showcase… for everybody [in town] to see” (44). This is a clear demonstration of Joe trying to garner the attention of the townsfolk so that the admiration he is hoping to get will boost his pride. Further evidence that his pride is the reason for many of his actions is when Janie remarks upon Joe’s funeral, calling it “the finest thing Orange County had ever seen with Negro eyes” (88). These statements indicate Joe had more to be proud of even in death than the average folks in town had in life. Joe’s purchase of the “big house” with “two stories” and “porches

However, Janie shatters this defense the moment she calls him out on his hypocrisy: “Yeah, Ah’m nearly forty and you’se already fifty.How come you can’t talk about dat sometimes instead of always pointin’ at me ?” (79). Janie confronts Joe’s pride and insecurities directly, therefore “[robbing] him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible” (79). Joe feels that what Janie did was a “cruel deceit” and now she and the town were “laughing at him” (80). As a result, “Joe [strikes] Janie with all his might” (80) due to his feelings of having to forcefully face his insecurities and the imminent loss of his