As the story
continues, the readers begin to become more familiar with Joe Starks. From the beginning
readers can tell Stark has a very controlling nature. He wants to be mayor of
the town and treats Janie like a trophy wife. However, after reading about what
the people of the town have to say about him, the novel makes it similar to
slavery.
It appears that Joe Starks is trying
to be like his “used-to-be boss man” (46). In a sense he wants to be white. He wants to
be master. Hurston makes several references of this. The town’s people whisper
that “You kin feel a switch in his hand when he’s talkin’ to yuh” (49). The way
Joe speaks and acts intimidates people. When Joe Starks speaks, he likes to be
heard and he likes to be obeyed. He talks “to folks wid books in his jaws”
(49). Joe makes the town’s people feel inferior by degrading them with all of
his knowledge. This makes the town’s people feel as though they know nothing
and need to follow him.
Constantly Joe Starks states that he wants to make a difference in
Eatonville, he wants to be a “big voice” (46), but in reality he just wants
land to rule. Take the description of his house for instance. Zora Neale
Hurston describes it as looking like the “big house” (47), with the “rest of
the town [looking] like servants’ quarters” (47). As mayor, Joe Starks owns
Eatonville and the people are just his servants. When Joe demands, the people
bow-down without daring to challenge him just like slaves.
This picture depicts
how a master is watching his slaves work; this image is similar to how the people of Eatonville view John Stark.
Honestly, you make me want to interject an onomatopoeia, Sigh, then add in an adjective, Obnoxious sigh, because publishing the same topic as someone after they had already published, unknowingly is truly something to Sigh about. As it may be, your article gave me insight a different point of view. Your post clarified everything that Joe wanted and the ways he got them. You also included an imagery that allowed me to feel the bitterness (having a black slave owner in a black town- they thought slavery couldn't exist without a White Man), of the townspeople which I liked,it widened the purview for me (not to mention that I mentioned the wrong setting and you corrected me- Sigh).
ReplyDeleteYour post gave me another view of Joe Starks that I did not see as closely as you did. As he is instructing the towns people to do things, he is incorporating the slave aspect into the community as he progresses. Now I see he just really wants to be in charge of anything and everything that the town holds.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that I wasn't the only one to notice this during the reading! I could always sense that there was something off about this guy. His controlling nature definitely points to a Master-Slave relationship.
ReplyDelete