A heterosexual relationship usually starts when a man is attracted to a woman’s body. A man could be attracted to many other things about a woman, of course, but a relationship rarely starts there. Therefore, the intersectionality of disadvantaged body and gender identity puts women in weaker end in their relationship. Yet, in the two relationships that I am going to analyze—the one between Joanne and Ricky from the novel of Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum, and the one between Janie and Tea Cake from the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, although the two women begin their relationship by feeling insecure and anxious due to their bodies, they are able to subvert the power dynamics also due their bodies. Here, what
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One night, Ricky is ready to "make some good love" with Joanne; however, Joanne raises the problem of Pierre being transfer to mental institution, which at first makes Ricky "get like a sick feeling in [his] gut”(Nussbaum, 299). Then, Joanne says that Ricky "looked tired" and "should try to compartmentalize it" and "talk about it in the morning”(Nussbaum, 229). But Joanne is clearly projecting her own problem to Ricky, because it is obviously Joanne who couldn't compartmentalize her concern and couldn't wait until the morning to talk about Pierre; it is Joanne who couldn’t stop thinking about the kids in ILLC herself and has to get it out of her mind. She obviously knows that bring this up will make Ricky feel like “sick in his gut”, nevertheless she not only shifts part of her burden onto Ricky’s back, but also intends to tell Ricky want to do: "I bet if you went over there—the public guardian's office is in the same building as Juvie" (Nussbaum, 229). This is done so subtlety that Ricky does not even recognizes, but if we examine this seemingly normal conversation, we can see how much Ricky respects Joanne, and how much power Joanne has gained by taking control of the conversation and directing it to a certain way that is not expected or appreciated by Ricky. This power of controlling her relationship and even her man might originate from her disability and the experience that she has gained because of
One night, Ricky is ready to "make some good love" with Joanne; however, Joanne raises the problem of Pierre being transfer to mental institution, which at first makes Ricky "get like a sick feeling in [his] gut”(Nussbaum, 299). Then, Joanne says that Ricky "looked tired" and "should try to compartmentalize it" and "talk about it in the morning”(Nussbaum, 229). But Joanne is clearly projecting her own problem to Ricky, because it is obviously Joanne who couldn't compartmentalize her concern and couldn't wait until the morning to talk about Pierre; it is Joanne who couldn’t stop thinking about the kids in ILLC herself and has to get it out of her mind. She obviously knows that bring this up will make Ricky feel like “sick in his gut”, nevertheless she not only shifts part of her burden onto Ricky’s back, but also intends to tell Ricky want to do: "I bet if you went over there—the public guardian's office is in the same building as Juvie" (Nussbaum, 229). This is done so subtlety that Ricky does not even recognizes, but if we examine this seemingly normal conversation, we can see how much Ricky respects Joanne, and how much power Joanne has gained by taking control of the conversation and directing it to a certain way that is not expected or appreciated by Ricky. This power of controlling her relationship and even her man might originate from her disability and the experience that she has gained because of