Satvik Jadhav

Ms. Kang
Bildungsroman
4/25/2016
Janies World
In the novel, There Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston illustrates Janie's
struggle to grows up and be independent in an environment dominated by male. Thoughout her
childhood, Janie has suffered discrimination from other around her. Janie grows up in a harsh
household, and as a result had a grim childhood. As she meets her new husbands, she learns an
important lessons from each of them. While Hurston shows the basic premise of racism, whites
seen superior to blacks, Hurston also uses racism to separate Janies reality from that of white
men/women.
In her community, Janie is singled out due to her appearance. Growing up Janie had
never seen her father or her mother, and was raised by her grandmother. Ah was wid dem white
chillun so much till Ah didnt know Ah wuznt white till Ah was round six years old.(Hurston 89) While she grew with her grandmother, she is always with the whites, and is never really aware
of her skin color. However, when we looked at depicture and everybody got pointed out there
wasnt nobody left except a real dark little girl with long hair standing by Eleanor. Dats where
Ah wuz sposed to be, but Ah couldnt recognize dat dark child as me. So Ah ast, where is me?
Ah dont see me.(Hurston 8-9). Janie was a stranger to herself throughout her childhood. She
never once doubted herself as being different from the other children. This sudden realization
was a shock to Janie as she believed that she was the same as the white. This suggests that to
Janie, she defines herself by the community that she is a part of rather than her skin color. Janies

first husband, Logan, also shows the harsh treatment that black women were given. Six months
back [Logan] had told her, If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you
oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me bout choppin no wood
nohow. Shed grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten." So Janie had
told him, Ahm just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah
reckon you can stand not to git no dinner.(Hurston 26) This passage suggests that both Logan
and Janie have strong views on the gender roles in a marriage. For example, Janie believes that
both the husband and the wife should do equal amounts of work, and carry the same amount of
burden in a marriage. She wants equality between the husband and the wife. However, Logan
believes that a wife should make a mans life easier and simpler. This is more emphasized when
Logan says Ah thought you would preciate good treatement. Thought Ahd take and make
somethin outa yuh. You think youse white folks by de way you act.(Hurston 30) Logan thinks
that a black women shouldnt demand for any respect or good treatment. Instead, she should be
happy that she is his wife, and listen to his demands. Janies gender and her appearance play a
key role in her unfair treatment.
Women are treated differently than men in the Southern society. This business of the
head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the
store. It didnt seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was.
He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went
about things in the store. And one night he had caught Walter standing behind, [] [h]e felt like
rushing forth with the meat knife and chopping off the offending hand. (Hurston 55) Janie is
treated like a prized object. Joe treats Janie like a valuable possession that he must not let others
havw. "Thank yuh fuh yo compliments, but mah wife dont know nothin bout no speech-

makin. Ah never married her for nothin lak dat. Shes uh woman and her place is in de
home."(Hurston 43) This act by Joe shows that he, like white men, believes that women are not
on the same level as men and should not be allowed to speak. Consequently, he tries to cut off
Janie whenever she tries to speak. Joe also believes that the place for a women is not in public
but instead in the house doing housework. Joe also confines Janie to the store all day and forces
her to cover herself when in public. He treats Janie and behaves this way because he wants
powerful and in charge. For example, when Joe creates the all-black town, he makes himself a
mansion just like a white masters house. Since Janies light skin and straight hair are the white
idles of beauty, Joe wants to keep her in order to make himself feel like a white man. Since
women are similar to mens object, Janie is able to empathize with the mule, both the mule and
Janie are controlled by a master, and are forced to carry their burden. After witnessing the harsh
treatment of the mule, Janie when to Joe and said, Jody, dat wuz uh mighty fine thing fuh you
tuh do. Taint everybody would have thought of it, cause it aint no everyday thought. Freein
dat mule makes uh mighty big man outa you.(Hurston 58) In the Southern society Janie is
treated like an object, without any personal feelings or voice.
Hurston shows the underlying struggles of racism and gender discrimination through
Janies life. Through Janie, Hurston is able to show the way black women were treated in the
Southern society and the racism they had to deal with.