Many consider mules to be substandard animals, only useful for labor-intensive tasks. Yet, in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, mules represent more than just a poor, defenseless animal. The way men treat them in Eatonville reflects the condition of the black female, as it serves as a symbol of Janie’s struggle in her relationship with Joe. In fact, the mule and its subsequent mistreatment represents how African-American females are comparative to these second-rate workhorses, thus justifying their oppressors’ abuse over his possession, whether that possession is his wife, or his mule. To begin, Matt Bonner mistreats his mule by not feeding him enough food. However, when Matt discusses about how he feeds him, on page 70,
