Their Eyes Were Watching God Synthesis Essay

Over the decades, women have progressively moved towards embracing independence. The role of women has transformed as females everywhere are breaking the social stigma and the stereotypical obligations the world has put on them. From the duty of housewife to the position of CEO, opportunities for women have grown into a plethora of possibilities that is never ending. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston prolifically displays Janie’s metamorphosis as a female in the Post Civil-War era.

Throughout her life, Janie is expected to follow the clear social standards for women that are plaguing her community. Janie is told by a fellow member of her community that “A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch

Because Janie is racially mixed, and therefore beautiful, as well as the mayor’s wife, Janie is held to a different standard than the women around her. Thus, when Janie tells a neighbor that she is getting a mule for plowing, he responds by saying, “You behind a plow! You ain’t got no mo’ business wid uh plow than uh hog is got wid a holiday!” (Hurston 29). This reaction from the man is typical in her society because hard and dirty labor is seen as a man’s task. Janie further reveals the boundaries and restrictions put on her when explaining, “When Ah wasn’t in de store he wanted me tuh jes sit wid folded hands and sit dere” (Hurston 112). The mindset of the individuals around Janie restricts her from becoming her true self and degrades her to an attractive female with nothing to offer but her looks. After the death of her second husband, “she burnt up every one of her

Janie never lets the remarks of others define her. As Janie says “Ah wants to utilize myself all over”, she replaces the labels put on her with a pure belief in herself and determination (Hurston 112). With her apron, Janie symbolically throws off the weight and repression of her first marriage when “She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road…” (Hurston 33). While doing this, Janie is leaving her first husband for another man, dedicated to make a better life for herself. But, Janie also faces negativity in her second marriage. Although, as she faces this negativity, she holds her ground. As her second husband is harshly commenting on her appearance, Janie stands up for herself by stating “But Ah’m uh woman every inch of me, and Ah know it” (Hurston 179). This fixed and unwavering mindset of who she is gets Janie to the point where “She got so she could tell big stories herself from listening to the rest” (Hurston 134). This is a proud moment for Janie as she now can engage in public conversations and is no longer restrained to keeping her thoughts to herself. Regardless of who believes in her, if Janie never believes in herself, she never could have blossomed into the bold and proud woman she