Hurston Gender Analysis

Hurston expresses both power and gender inequality with the use of characters such as Joe, a powerful male, and Janie, his subordinate in his eyes. When Joe and Janie first met, Joe seems like a very nice, caring man. His true personality is revealed in Chapter 6, when Joe says, “Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none for themselves” (Hurston 71). This statement reveals to the reader that Joe is discriminative against women. By comparing women to chickens, cows and children, Jody is expressing his power over her. Chicken, cows and children are usually under the control of someone else. Jody states that women need someone to think for them just like children, cows and chickens. By this, he expresses his unspoken power over women because of his identity as a male. …show more content…
By comparing the women to children, he is stating that as a man, he has the power to think and make decisions for the woman. Also, Hurston reveals more about Joe and Janie when Hurston stats Joe’s thoughts: “Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible...But Janie had done much worse, she had cast down his armor before men and they had laughed, would keep on laughing...And the cruel deceit of Janie! Making all that show of humbleness and scorning him all the time! Laughing at him, and now putting the town up to do the same. Joe Starks didn’t know the words for all this, but he knew the feeling...he struck Janie will all his might and drove her from the store” (Hurston 79-80). Joe is insulted by what Janie does to him, but regains his power over her by hitting her. After this happen, Janie begins to wonder, “Why must Joe be so mad with her for making him look small when he did it to her all the time? Had been doing it for years”(Hurston