Male chauvinism is the idea that women are inherently inferior to men in both physical and mental ability. This ideology has been instilled in the minds of both men and women since the beginning of life on earth. Women are expected to be submissive, refined and soft spoken around others in society. Men are thought to have total control and power in their relationships. Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, exemplifies this traditional ideology in a southern community during the early 1900s. Janie’s grandmother forces her to accept male superiority and throw away her own independence. The male figures in Janie’s life suppress her opinions, treat her as property and abuse her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s grandmother
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Their strong belief in a man’s superiority is the cause of her masked identity because they need to have power and control in their relationships. Her grandmother believes that protection and economic stability are the two most important attributes in a marriage. For this very reason she forces Janie to tolerate the idea of male chauvinism and agree to sacrifice her true identity, in order to have a better life. Although all very different, Janie’s husbands share the common belief in male chauvinism and a man’s rightful control over his woman. Janie learns from her experiences in each of the three marriages what she needs to be happy. She learns from Mr. Killicks that “along with being sexually desired, a woman must be treated with respect and dignity” (Dilbeck 102). Through her marriage with Joe she learns that “a man should have faith in his wife and give her freedom to experience life” (Dilbeck 102). Tea Cake shows her “how a man should appreciate her beauty intelligence, and independence, but also show her tenderness, trust and respect” (Dilbeck 102). Through Janie’s relationships and experiences with dominating and controlling characters she discovers that she is an independent, confident, powerful and unique woman, who should not compromise her true identity to please
Their strong belief in a man’s superiority is the cause of her masked identity because they need to have power and control in their relationships. Her grandmother believes that protection and economic stability are the two most important attributes in a marriage. For this very reason she forces Janie to tolerate the idea of male chauvinism and agree to sacrifice her true identity, in order to have a better life. Although all very different, Janie’s husbands share the common belief in male chauvinism and a man’s rightful control over his woman. Janie learns from her experiences in each of the three marriages what she needs to be happy. She learns from Mr. Killicks that “along with being sexually desired, a woman must be treated with respect and dignity” (Dilbeck 102). Through her marriage with Joe she learns that “a man should have faith in his wife and give her freedom to experience life” (Dilbeck 102). Tea Cake shows her “how a man should appreciate her beauty intelligence, and independence, but also show her tenderness, trust and respect” (Dilbeck 102). Through Janie’s relationships and experiences with dominating and controlling characters she discovers that she is an independent, confident, powerful and unique woman, who should not compromise her true identity to please