Racism is “the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race” (Hornby 1248). In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston comments on race relations. “The novel seems to ask if race is not, after all, socially constructed—that is to say, categories not based on biology but on concepts thought up by humans” (Sharon 189). Hurston focuses on the loss of the Blacks’ identity in society. A significant example that sheds the light of the history of blacks in America is the character Nanny. She has said: “colored folks is branches without roots” (Hurston 16). Thus the character of Nanny, Janie’s grandmother, plays a very important role. She does not only represent the slave past and the liberation, but also the disorder that accompanied
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Janie has been called “Alphabet” by others because many people have named her different names. So, she has lost her real name in the process of giving her many names. This is manifested in “Dey all useter call me Alphabet ’cause so many people had done named me different names” (Hurston 9). Furthermore, Nanny points out to Janie that the black woman is like the “mule”, bearing the burdens of labor and work for others and not being appreciated. Black women are always treated like animals. That is why she has told her grandchild: “And Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outa you” (Hurston …show more content…
The jury consists of all white men. Both whites and blacks attend the trial, although they are described as being separate. “Ironically, the black people act more negatively to Janie, suggesting that they would have judged her more harshly than the white men. The white women, on the other hand, have applauded when the prosecutor silences a man who wants to testify against Janie; these women sob in joy when the verdict is handed down. After the trial, some suggest that the white male jury ruled in Janie’s favor because of her Caucasian features and light skin color; others note that killing is seen as acceptable when it involves black people, and that white men and black women are the most free people” (Sharon 192). This scene explains that even justice has been affected by race. The judges are white men whom judge a black woman in a black community. The scene is a commentary on the injustice of the judicial
Janie has been called “Alphabet” by others because many people have named her different names. So, she has lost her real name in the process of giving her many names. This is manifested in “Dey all useter call me Alphabet ’cause so many people had done named me different names” (Hurston 9). Furthermore, Nanny points out to Janie that the black woman is like the “mule”, bearing the burdens of labor and work for others and not being appreciated. Black women are always treated like animals. That is why she has told her grandchild: “And Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outa you” (Hurston …show more content…
The jury consists of all white men. Both whites and blacks attend the trial, although they are described as being separate. “Ironically, the black people act more negatively to Janie, suggesting that they would have judged her more harshly than the white men. The white women, on the other hand, have applauded when the prosecutor silences a man who wants to testify against Janie; these women sob in joy when the verdict is handed down. After the trial, some suggest that the white male jury ruled in Janie’s favor because of her Caucasian features and light skin color; others note that killing is seen as acceptable when it involves black people, and that white men and black women are the most free people” (Sharon 192). This scene explains that even justice has been affected by race. The judges are white men whom judge a black woman in a black community. The scene is a commentary on the injustice of the judicial