In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the main character Janie is a partially black woman in Florida who experiences many events and meets many men in her life. The book begins when Janie is living with her grandma Nanny, who is very protective of her in fear that her past will repeat for her granddaughter. Nanny forces Janie into a marriage with Logan Killiks, who compares her to his past wives and tells her that she “ain’t got no particular place” (31). She then leaves Logan when she meets Joe on the road and decides to go with him to start a town. Being the mayor’s wife does not treat her well, and she does not have her own voice. Tea Cake is the picture of a faultless man--kind, respectful, and fun, but
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Joe thinks highly of her for her beauty, so he doesn’t seem to trust her enough to let her beautiful hair, which attracts men, down in public. When he saw a Walter in the store secretly combing his hands through Janie’s braid, “he felt like rushing forward with the meat knife and chopping off the opposing hand.”(55) This night, he concluded that her hair was only for him to see, which is a very authoritative action for him to take. When Joe first becomes the mayor he gives a speech, and afterwards the town chants for Janie to give a speech as well. Joe responds to this desire by telling them that she does not know how to speak in public and that, “she’s uh woman and her place is in de home.”(43) Even though Joe is correct in the sense that she does not have experience in speaking, his instant dismissal to any talent she may have made her begin to accept the fact that he does not admire her for anything but the symbol that she provides for him. They fought for such a long time and the only place their paths crossed was the parlor where they pretended everything was ok, but not the bedroom where real love is supposed to be requited. He forces her to cover her hair and shut her mouth, and soon enough, she, “learned to hush.” (71)
Was Joe a necessary addition to Janie’s life or could she have realized what she was looking for in a relationship without experiencing the hardships she went through with him? He partially made her more cautious about quickly moving into marriages, but she still went straight to Tea Cake soon after Joe
Joe thinks highly of her for her beauty, so he doesn’t seem to trust her enough to let her beautiful hair, which attracts men, down in public. When he saw a Walter in the store secretly combing his hands through Janie’s braid, “he felt like rushing forward with the meat knife and chopping off the opposing hand.”(55) This night, he concluded that her hair was only for him to see, which is a very authoritative action for him to take. When Joe first becomes the mayor he gives a speech, and afterwards the town chants for Janie to give a speech as well. Joe responds to this desire by telling them that she does not know how to speak in public and that, “she’s uh woman and her place is in de home.”(43) Even though Joe is correct in the sense that she does not have experience in speaking, his instant dismissal to any talent she may have made her begin to accept the fact that he does not admire her for anything but the symbol that she provides for him. They fought for such a long time and the only place their paths crossed was the parlor where they pretended everything was ok, but not the bedroom where real love is supposed to be requited. He forces her to cover her hair and shut her mouth, and soon enough, she, “learned to hush.” (71)
Was Joe a necessary addition to Janie’s life or could she have realized what she was looking for in a relationship without experiencing the hardships she went through with him? He partially made her more cautious about quickly moving into marriages, but she still went straight to Tea Cake soon after Joe