Society, in the 1930s, stereotypes men as the completely dominant role in a relationship. Since men see women beneath them, they think they have the power to control women and limit their voices; they leave women without a way to speak up for themselves. Even though it takes Janie, Zora Neale Hurston’s main character in Their Eyes Were Watching God, almost two marriages to find her voice, she discovers the power of words and the meaning of self-respect through others belittling her and making her feel worthless.
Because Janie is only sixteen, she does not understand what marriage truly means. Therefore, Janie’s first marriage is a result of Janie trying to please others, especially her grandmother. All her grandmother “wants [Janie] to have …show more content…
Once Joe becomes the mayor of Eatonville, Joe’s opinion of himself increases as Janie’s worth, in Joe’s eyes, decreases. The first time the entire town gathers, a citizen asks to hear “Mrs. Mayor Starks” speak (43). Since Joe is now the figure of the town, he has a huge ego; therefore, he once again reduces Janie’s importance by telling the citizen “mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin” (43). After nearly twenty years of Joe’s diminishment, “Janie [does] what she [has] never done before [and takes] the middle of the floor to talk right into [Joe’s] face and [robs] him of his irresistible maleness illusion” (75;78;79). When Joe beats Janie due to this, Janie begins to question what reasons Joe has to “be so mad with her for making him look so small when he [does] it all the time to her” (81). After Joe dies, Janie finds a new sense of freedom, a feeling she has never felt in a marriage …show more content…
Janie’s third, and final, marriage to Tea Cake is the only sweet and balanced marriage she has. From the beginning Janie and Tea Cake are seen as equals and respect each other’s opinions. The first time Janie and Tea Cake meet, Tea Cake teaches Janie to play checkers, something Joe never does because Joe believes Janie does not have the ability to learn. After spending an abundance of time together, they both make up “[their] mind tuh marry” and Tea Cake lashes out at Janie for not “[having] de nerve tuh say whut [she means]” (113;109). Even though Tea Cake and Janie make up their mind to stay in the Everglades during a hurricane, they begin to question themselves, and God. As Tea Cake and Janie are navigating through the destruction of the hurricane, Tea Cake selflessly decides to carry Janie in order to protect her. Weeks, months, days? after the hurricane, Tea Cake begins to not only lash out at Janie, but at water too. Janie, a concerned wife, immediately calls a doctor to cure her husband. The love Janie and Tea Cake share is so immense that after Tea Cake dies, Janie leaves the Everglades because living without her love is too much for her
Because Janie is only sixteen, she does not understand what marriage truly means. Therefore, Janie’s first marriage is a result of Janie trying to please others, especially her grandmother. All her grandmother “wants [Janie] to have …show more content…
Once Joe becomes the mayor of Eatonville, Joe’s opinion of himself increases as Janie’s worth, in Joe’s eyes, decreases. The first time the entire town gathers, a citizen asks to hear “Mrs. Mayor Starks” speak (43). Since Joe is now the figure of the town, he has a huge ego; therefore, he once again reduces Janie’s importance by telling the citizen “mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin” (43). After nearly twenty years of Joe’s diminishment, “Janie [does] what she [has] never done before [and takes] the middle of the floor to talk right into [Joe’s] face and [robs] him of his irresistible maleness illusion” (75;78;79). When Joe beats Janie due to this, Janie begins to question what reasons Joe has to “be so mad with her for making him look so small when he [does] it all the time to her” (81). After Joe dies, Janie finds a new sense of freedom, a feeling she has never felt in a marriage …show more content…
Janie’s third, and final, marriage to Tea Cake is the only sweet and balanced marriage she has. From the beginning Janie and Tea Cake are seen as equals and respect each other’s opinions. The first time Janie and Tea Cake meet, Tea Cake teaches Janie to play checkers, something Joe never does because Joe believes Janie does not have the ability to learn. After spending an abundance of time together, they both make up “[their] mind tuh marry” and Tea Cake lashes out at Janie for not “[having] de nerve tuh say whut [she means]” (113;109). Even though Tea Cake and Janie make up their mind to stay in the Everglades during a hurricane, they begin to question themselves, and God. As Tea Cake and Janie are navigating through the destruction of the hurricane, Tea Cake selflessly decides to carry Janie in order to protect her. Weeks, months, days? after the hurricane, Tea Cake begins to not only lash out at Janie, but at water too. Janie, a concerned wife, immediately calls a doctor to cure her husband. The love Janie and Tea Cake share is so immense that after Tea Cake dies, Janie leaves the Everglades because living without her love is too much for her