In the novel ‘Their eyes were watching God’ by Zora Neale Hurston, we can see black
women being silenced as a way for the writer to establish a point and also evoke emotion
in the reader. Black women are portrayed as servants and are at the lowest level in both
the white and black races which can explain why character in the novel silence them so
easily.
The first case in which the idea of silencing women is noticed in the novel is when the
narrator says “Then they act and do things accordingly” on page 1. This portrays women
in general as servants who follow the orders of their ruler and makes women seem as if
they have no power. This shows how women are labeled at the beginning of the novel
and this sets the notion of women being …show more content…
Her experiences with both genders in the
white community and black community gave her the knowledge she has acquired now
and she wants to transfer this information into the main character of the novel, Jaine.
On page 24 Nanny makes the comment “Ah do what Ah told tuh do ‘cause ain’t nothin’
but uh nigger and a slave”. With this statement, Nanny expresses her opinion about
women in general throug her personal experiences. A common issue the reader needs to
consider about opinions in novels and short stories are if the characters point of view can
be trusted or not. Even though Nanny’s statement is based of her knowledge, there is
sufficient evidence in the novel to support Nanny’s statement about the treatment of
women that results in their silencing.
Another scene in the novel that directly shows how black women are silenced is when
Jody, Janie's second husband, mocks the idea for Jaine giving a speech. Jody says “Thank
yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah
never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home”. We
can see how Jody assumes women aren’t fit to be doing the same tasks men usually …show more content…
By mentioning that his wife doesn’t know and
think about speeches is the way Jody's silences Jaine because he concludes that she can’t
speak publicly. Then by stating that the women role is in the home, links back to Nanny’s
point about black women being slaves and also the narrator's point about women
following orders at the beginning of the novel. Jody’s statement shows how he believes
that women are just supposed to do what their told and shouldn’t speak against it.
Through the silencing of Janie, the perceived role women have is brought back to the
surface. This silencing shows how black women aren’t given the chance to speak because
men think that their opinion is irrelevant. Since the ideas of black women aren’t being
heard, nobody will know if their opinions could be helpful.
An example to support this point is when Jaine was right during the hurricane scene. At
this point in the novel Jody had died and Janie met the loveable character Tea Cake.
These two got married, moved away, and began to live a pleasantly. During the
hurricane, Tea Cake,Janie and another character called Motor Boat were staying in a
house to try and protect themselves from the hurricane. Jaine suggested that all three
women being silenced as a way for the writer to establish a point and also evoke emotion
in the reader. Black women are portrayed as servants and are at the lowest level in both
the white and black races which can explain why character in the novel silence them so
easily.
The first case in which the idea of silencing women is noticed in the novel is when the
narrator says “Then they act and do things accordingly” on page 1. This portrays women
in general as servants who follow the orders of their ruler and makes women seem as if
they have no power. This shows how women are labeled at the beginning of the novel
and this sets the notion of women being …show more content…
Her experiences with both genders in the
white community and black community gave her the knowledge she has acquired now
and she wants to transfer this information into the main character of the novel, Jaine.
On page 24 Nanny makes the comment “Ah do what Ah told tuh do ‘cause ain’t nothin’
but uh nigger and a slave”. With this statement, Nanny expresses her opinion about
women in general throug her personal experiences. A common issue the reader needs to
consider about opinions in novels and short stories are if the characters point of view can
be trusted or not. Even though Nanny’s statement is based of her knowledge, there is
sufficient evidence in the novel to support Nanny’s statement about the treatment of
women that results in their silencing.
Another scene in the novel that directly shows how black women are silenced is when
Jody, Janie's second husband, mocks the idea for Jaine giving a speech. Jody says “Thank
yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah
never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home”. We
can see how Jody assumes women aren’t fit to be doing the same tasks men usually …show more content…
By mentioning that his wife doesn’t know and
think about speeches is the way Jody's silences Jaine because he concludes that she can’t
speak publicly. Then by stating that the women role is in the home, links back to Nanny’s
point about black women being slaves and also the narrator's point about women
following orders at the beginning of the novel. Jody’s statement shows how he believes
that women are just supposed to do what their told and shouldn’t speak against it.
Through the silencing of Janie, the perceived role women have is brought back to the
surface. This silencing shows how black women aren’t given the chance to speak because
men think that their opinion is irrelevant. Since the ideas of black women aren’t being
heard, nobody will know if their opinions could be helpful.
An example to support this point is when Jaine was right during the hurricane scene. At
this point in the novel Jody had died and Janie met the loveable character Tea Cake.
These two got married, moved away, and began to live a pleasantly. During the
hurricane, Tea Cake,Janie and another character called Motor Boat were staying in a
house to try and protect themselves from the hurricane. Jaine suggested that all three