Janie’s Relationship to the Black Communities in: Their Eyes Were Watching God.
The following essay will examine the relationship between Janie and the three different black communities in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” In this story the reader is confronted with the protagonist Janie who searches for the one and true love and therefore marries three completely different types of men. Two of her husbands also influence the relationship to the other black people living around her.
First of all the relationship between the protagonist and the community where she grew up shall be examined, then between her as the wife of the mayor Joe Starks and the people living in Eatonville and at last the relationship to society in the Everglades where Janie lived and worked together with her third husband, Tea Cake.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Janie's Relationship to the Community of Her Childhood
3. Janie's Relationship to the Community of Eatonville as Wife of Mayor Joe Starks
4. Janie's Relationship to the Community in the Everglades as Wife of Tea Cake
5. Conclusion
6. Works Cited
Objectives and Key Topics
This essay examines the relationship between Janie Crawford, the protagonist of Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," and the three distinct Black communities she encounters throughout her life. By analyzing how Janie's position shifts across different social environments and through her marriages to three different men, the work explores themes of identity, belonging, social exclusion, and eventual integration. The essay demonstrates how Janie's journey from outsider to fully integrated community member reflects broader patterns of female agency and personal development within African American society during the early twentieth century.
- Janie's status as an outsider in her childhood community due to her mixed heritage and living conditions
- Social exclusion and subordination experienced as the wife of Joe Starks, the mayor of Eatonville
- Integration and equality achieved through her relationship with Tea Cake in the Everglades
- The transformative power of love and respect on Janie's development and social positioning
- The significance of Hurston's work as a groundbreaking contribution to African American women's literature
- Analysis of gender roles and community dynamics within Black society during the early twentieth century
Excerpt from the Book
Janie's Relationship to the Community of Eatonville as Wife of Mayor Joe Starks
Joe Starks wants to be a big and important voice (Hurston: 46) in the village called Eatonville and Janie should become "uh big woman" (Hurston: 46), too. In this village he rises to the position of a mayor and has got very clear ideas of how the woman by his side should behave in public. He sees in Janie his object of prestige and does not want her hair to be shown in the store and he is of the opinion that "she was there in the store for him to look at, not those others" (Hurston: 55). He makes her to an "outsider." Neither does he want Janie to take part in the "mule talk" on the porch in front of their shop nor in the listening to these conversations. "Everybody indulged in mule talk" (Hurston 53) except Janie, as [...] "Joe had forbidden her to indulge" (Hurston: 53). He does not take her to public events where the entire community gathers, but instead leaves her alone in the shop. This becomes obvious when everybody went to the dragging-out of the mule (see p. 59) and Joe Starks did not want her to join the masses: Why, Janie! You wouldn't be seen at uh draggin'-out, wouldja? Wid any and everybody in uh passle pushin' and shovin' wid they no-manners selves? Naw, naw! (Hurston: 60) Moreover, she is excluded from every kind of communication with the other women in Eatonville and has to present herself as a woman of a higher social level. She does not talk much to others and therefore is not integrated into society.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: The essay introduces Janie Crawford as a protagonist searching for true love, examining how her three marriages to different men shape her relationship with Black communities, and outlines the three distinct communities that will be analyzed.
Janie's Relationship to the Community of Her Childhood: Janie initially plays freely with other children but becomes an outsider due to her mixed heritage and living situation in the white family's backyard, experiencing teasing and social exclusion from peers like Mayrella.
Janie's Relationship to the Community of Eatonville as Wife of Mayor Joe Starks: As the mayor's wife, Janie is isolated and excluded from community activities and conversations, treated as an object of prestige rather than an equal member of society, forbidden from participating in social gatherings and community discourse.
Janie's Relationship to the Community in the Everglades as Wife of Tea Cake: In the Everglades, Janie achieves full social integration and equality, working alongside other Black workers, participating in community social events, developing friendships, and experiencing genuine companionship and respect from her husband and community.
Conclusion: Through her relationships with three different men and her experiences in three distinct communities, Janie develops from an outsider into a mature woman fully integrated into Black society, while Hurston's novel itself represents a groundbreaking contribution to African American women's literature.
Key Terms and Concepts
Janie Crawford, Black community, social integration, outsider status, gender roles, African American literature, Joe Starks, Tea Cake, Eatonville, Everglades, female agency, marital relationships, social exclusion, personal development, Zora Neale Hurston
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this essay?
The essay examines Janie Crawford's changing relationship with three distinct Black communities throughout Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," analyzing how her social position and level of integration shift as she moves through different environments and marriages.
What are the three main communities discussed in the work?
The three communities are: the neighborhood where Janie grew up with her grandmother, the village of Eatonville where she lived as the wife of Mayor Joe Starks, and the Everglades plantation community where she lived and worked with her third husband, Tea Cake.
What is the primary research question or thesis of the essay?
The essay argues that Janie's journey from social outsider to fully integrated community member is directly connected to her three marriages, with each husband representing different treatment of women and different levels of community participation, ultimately leading to her personal growth and self-discovery.
What methodological approach does the essay employ?
The essay uses textual analysis and close reading of Hurston's novel, examining specific passages and character interactions to support claims about Janie's social positioning and relationships within each community.
How does Janie's experience in Eatonville differ from her experiences in other communities?
In Eatonville, Janie is deliberately excluded from community life and social interactions by her husband Joe Starks, who treats her as a possession rather than an equal, contrasting sharply with her childhood experiences and her later integration in the Everglades.
What role does Tea Cake play in Janie's social integration?
Tea Cake treats Janie as an equal human being, encourages her participation in social activities, and creates an environment where she is welcomed and valued by the community, enabling her full integration into the Everglades society.
How does Janie's mixed heritage affect her status in her childhood community?
Janie's mixed heritage—having a white father and light skin—combined with living in the white family's backyard, causes other children to treat her as an outsider and inferior, resulting in teasing and exclusion from normal childhood play and social activities.
What broader literary significance does Hurston's novel possess according to this analysis?
The essay argues that "Their Eyes Were Watching God" was groundbreaking because it centered a Black female protagonist at the heart of the narrative, establishing Hurston as a foundational figure in African American women's literature.
In what ways does Joe Starks control Janie's social participation in Eatonville?
Joe Starks forbids Janie from engaging in "mule talk" with the community, prevents her from attending public events, isolates her in the store, requires her to maintain a higher social presentation, and treats her as an object of his prestige rather than an independent member of society.
How does the concept of outsider status evolve throughout Janie's life as presented in this essay?
Janie begins as an outsider in childhood due to circumstances beyond her control, becomes an outsider by design in Eatonville through her husband's deliberate isolation, and finally transcends outsider status entirely in the Everglades through genuine acceptance and mutual respect within the community.
- Quote paper
- Kerstin Köck (Author), 2007, Janie’s Relationship to the Black Communities in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1215036
