Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: An Analysis

The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, illustrated how black women during the early 1900’s were constantly marginalized and silenced. In this time period black women did not have the same respect as men or white women when they gave their opinions and were often ignored. Black women were also perceived to be less intelligent and ____ by others. Hurston portrayed how black women were marginalized and silenced by others through the protagonists’ relationships with other people.
The protagonist, Janie, is constantly controlled by her second husband Joe Starks. Joe and Janie ran off together to Eatonville, where Joe become the mayor. Joe let the power of being in charge go to his head and began controlling everything Janie did as well. Hurston tell the reader that Joe is
Joe would control everything Janie did. Not only does Joe control everything Janie does, he also told people she is not fit to give a speech, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh women and her place in in de home” Joe makes Janie seem as if she is not as intelligent as him and that her place is in the house (Hurston 43). Joe silenced Janie by not letting Janie make a speech to the crowd, he took away her voice and thought by not letting her make a speech. Joe always tells Janie not to speak to people who “don’t even own de house dey sleep in” or anyone who Joe felt were less than him (Hurston 54). Telling Janie who she can and cannot speak to is restricting her from expressing who she is and voicing her opinion. Joe limiting who Janie can and cannot socialize with also keeps Janie in the box that Joe had created around her to keep her in check. Joe only lets Janie do what he thinks she is able to do to assert his dominance over