After
reading the first few chapters in the novel, the gender expectations of the
time period are already apparent. Janie is treated like a beautiful statue by
her second husband, Joe Starks. She is something that can be admired by those
around her, but has no say in her own affairs. For example, one of the men of
the newly built town asks for her to speak and Joe immediately steps in to say “Thank
you fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’’bout no speech-makin”
(Hurston 43). He does not allow her to
give her own opinion and proceeds to say “She’s uh woman and her place is in de
home” (Hurston 43). This clearly angers Janie, but she holds back, refusing to
defend herself. This seems to be the first of a long line of her husband’s
sexist actions.
Janie’s reactions make it clear to the
audience the disdain she feels towards the men in her life. She makes it known that she hates the way Starks makes her cover her hair and sometimes she even walks away from a situation that bothers her. Judging by the era
this book was written about, she is probably the first of many women who
will rebel against the ideals of the men and who will work hard to gain the
treatment she deserves. She has shown that she has no problem leaving a man. To
me, Janie represents the beginning of a new era. She feels that she deserves
equal treatment, not only as a colored person but as a woman. I predict that
her feelings will only escalate throughout the novel and hopefully, she will eventually
achieve her dreams.
It is very true that gender roles were still intact during the publishing of this novel (1937). In the 1930s, the Great Depression had hit America and as we all know it was a rough economic time for everyone - no matter how rich they were. This relays to the gender expectations portrayed in the novel, because the role of the housewife was stronger than ever before. Men still had to go out and look for work, whilst women who were not widowed or divorced stayed at home to care for the house. The job of the housewife was not lost during this time period (Ware), but Janie's ideas influenced the thought of breaking out of the gender box which is why many husbands showed disdain when this novel was published.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/great-depression/essays/women-and-great-depression
I agree alot with what you said Casey. You are right in saying that Janie represents the beginning of a new era. This story was published in 1937, roughly 17 years after the woman's suffrage movement succeeding in getting the 20th ammendment passed in conjunction with first-wave feminism. Women did gain the right to vote, but this did not apply to African American women such as herself. During the Great Depression, gender roles and social channeling had been the stongest it had ever been in the 20th century. This meant that women were still expected to be controlled by the men in their life, and in turn the time period called into question the rights women still needed to collectively fight for. As women broke into the work force to support the Allies' efforts in WW2, they felt a sense of accomplishment and this is because of exactly what you said. They gained a sense of dignity and freedom they felt they didn't have when they where symbollically chained to their oppressive status as simply "housewife" and "homemaker".
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