Analysis Of Husband In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

To be a good husband one must not only take charge, but play the role that a husband should have towards his wife, such as being supportive, loyal, respectful, a good communicator, and lastly, one who loves you despite your flaws. A person having these traits helps, but it makes a marriage more successful by keeping it healthy. In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie, who is the main character in the novel is a beautiful black woman who was raised by her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny loves Janie very much and raises her the best she can. Unfortunately, Janie starts seeking attention from men, some of whom are not good for Janie. In the novel, Janie’s first husband, Logan was Nanny's favorite out of the …show more content…
Janie’s second husband is Joe Starks, often called Jody. He was a natural born entrepreneur. Janie tends to not be happy in this marriage because he was very in control of everything she did. He would always talk and not let her have a say so at town meetings. Janie was forced to tie her hair back so that no other men would look at her. This left her feeling alone in the relationship. Lastly, her third husband, Tea Cake, was Janie's one true love. She loved him dearly. The relationship between Janie and Tea Cake is quite different from her prior relationships. In the marriage, Janie is more strong and independent. Tea Cake is an essential part to Janie in her personal growth and is more stable financially. Although Logan and Joe are not terrible husbands, neither of them quite meet Janie's standards like …show more content…
Her second husband fails to provide her with the love and care she desires. One way Joe fails to show her these two things she desires the most is he is very self- centered. He is only concerned with being the mayor of Eatonville and leading the townspeople. One day when there was a town meeting, the townspeople cheered and wanted a thank you speech from Janie, but Joe didn’t want her to speak. He says, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but my wife don’t know nothin bout-no speech makin. Ah never married her for nothin like dat. She’s a woman, and her place is de home (43)”. Not only does this show that Joe is self-centered, but it shows that he is very controlling over Janie. He wants things his way and his way only, without Janie ever having a say so. This plays a huge part in the marriage because with Joe saying this, it shows that he doesn’t respect her opinions or her views on things and this is a major key in a marriage being