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Their Eyes Were Watching God Gender Analysis

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The 1930’s was focused mainly on the civil rights movement, but very few people paid much attention to black women and the many forms of discrimination they faced on a daily basis. Since the beginning of time social justice issues of gender and identity have been prominent when referring to black women, and thought these problems have been greatly diminished, they still persist today all throughout society. Society without a doubt greatly influences the way gender roles are constructed and that’s where we get most of the opinions and values we live by on a day to day basis. The author wrote this book not to make a mockery of black people and their social issues, but to show societies massive effect on gender roles. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Hurston shows that in order for women to become empowered in a male dominated world they need to start by first …show more content…
Throughout this book Janie is held to a different standard than the rest of the women, but is being watched even more closely because of her second husband Joe Starks. Janie is expected to keep a closed mouth whenever she feels she has an opinion, and just stand behind Jody and look pretty as the mayor's wife. In the beginning of the novel when Janie would make remarks that spoke to her wanting a little freedom Joe would make remarks like, “Why, Janie! You wouldn’t be seen at uh draggin’-out wouldja?” At times like these she felt defenseless within her marriage as if she had no voice, like no one cared about how she felt and what she wanted but she continued to live in the shadows of her husband, but “ A little war of defense for helpless things was going on inside her” (57). This starts the rebellion Janie feels inside her. She feels that not even her husband fully understand her and they've been together for years. Obegins to feels the need to let everyone

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