How does Zora Neale Hurston use humor to define power dynamics in Eatonville?

In “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Hurston uses humor to define the power dynamics in

Eatonville. Certain people, especially Janie, aren’t allowed, or choose not to join in when a group

of people is playing variations of ‘the dozens’, and these people are regarded by the town to be

less powerful or of lower social standing. Matt Bonner doesn’t engage back when the

townspeople insult him, and he is viewed as almost a laughing stock by the rest of the town.

Hurston says that “when he got huffed…nobody minded”, and this shows us that the town

doesn’t view him as powerful or important, since they don’t fear the consequences of his anger.

Jody didn’t permit Janie to join in the ‘mule-talk’ because he said everyone who joined

was ‘trashy’, but he had no problem joining himself, showing that he is holding her back from

the mule-talk as a way of controlling her and reducing her power.

The scene where Jody and Janie fight at the store in front of their customers is

particularly interesting. Jody insults Janie first, saying “Don’t stand …wid yo’ rump hangin’

nearly to yo’ knees!” and Janie initially reacts by telling Joe to not insult her looks, but when Joe

doesn’t stop, Janie is fed up and insults Joe back with an insult that makes one of the customers

think she and Joe were playing ‘the dozens’. In the dozens, both parties are of equal power,

because both are allowed to insult each other. However, Joe gets mad at Janie for “laughing at

him, and now putting the town up to do the same” (i.e. playing the dozens) which is something

that he has been doing to her for the entirety of their marriage, and he hits her, effectively telling

her that he has the power to insult her, but she isn’t allowed to insult him back, showing that they

don’t have the equal power dynamic seen in ‘the dozens’ - he is more powerful because she

doesn’t have a chance to fight back. This lack of the ability to freely engage in humor at someone

else’s expense is how Hurston shows Janie’s powerlessness due to Jody’s possessiveness.