Their Eyes Were Watching God Character Analysis

Masculinity in Their Eyes Were Watching God

According to English novelist E.M Forster, Joe Starks has only one defining trait and ends up as a flat character (Lombardi). How the building of Joe’s character led him to suffer an impotent marriage? This is an analysis of the narrative of Joe Starks. I will comment on how Joe took Janie away from Logan Killicks, and how he made himself famous in the town of Eatonville by establishing numerous facilities and acts of generosity. Then I will observe according to the novel on how Joe’s attitude towards Janie changed from paying her mutual respect to complaining her as an irresponsible woman who can’t do the chores properly. Then I will summarize the comments on Joe’s character.
Joe’s social status
is a middle class. Most middle classes spend a lot of time on their profession. However, one’s job is not his whole life. It is a trap that makes people think that work and salary mechanism is priority above all things. Somehow when people fall into this trap, they adjust their temperament and character to suit the environment. Joe’s overall character seems to be absorbed into the order of his former workplace. He is a person who finds his existential worth through working under a pre-assumed order. This can be seen through his role in Eatonville.
The novel’s introduction of Joe starts with him as a stranger walking down the road.
He was a “citified, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle.”(27) He talked friendly to Janie and told Janie that he had been working for white folks a long time yet saved a lot of money. Joe 's idealogical investment, unlike Logan 's, has nothing to do with a work ethic or turning Janie into a mule; instead, Joe 's stresses control.(McGowan 113) Janie is attracted by promising fact that Joe would not, like Logan, treat her as labor source. By this she was satisfied enough. The novel then quickly focuses on Joe’s achievements as mayor: the establishment of the grocery store, the mail service, the electric lamp and the purchase of Matt’s mule. Joe’s progressive intentions have the quality of invest and speculation. His real aim is to have “a big voice.” (46) The grocery store and the mail service had earned the economic respect of the townsfolk. The parlor was never empty of amusement and chatter. The electric lamp had made him a figure of enlightenment. The purchase of Matt’s mule gave him a reputation of “liberator of labor.” These events had made Joe an outstanding figure among the black township. He had earned his “big voice”. But along came another aspect of his identity: He made himself a God by his sole purpose. The townspeople sought to watch him in admiring eyes, hence the title “their eyes were watching God”. Joe plays God as though nothing can stand in his way, but it has
drawbacks. This notion of identity, or this feeling of empowerment made him think that it is necessary to stay progressive so long as people continue to believe him as a God. He has to be a fool himself to believe this, but the momentum had kicked off, and without an equalizer it is very hard to stop it. To this point, Joe has become an example of monopoly capitalism. (McGowan 112) By now his sense of superiority had bypassed his sentimentality on the folks around him. He is actually in the risk of being an ignorant of his townsfolk, even with his beloved Janie. Even in old age, he still sees himself as an autocrat of Janie. Joe can’t change his humanistic sense and clings on his past achievements.
Joe’s love towards Janie never had grown beyond a fancy doll.
Although Janie had warned him about his work being “a strain”(46) on their relationship, he still insists on his prospects on Janie as first lady. He trades these “good fortunes” for Janie’s loyalty. It was clear for Janie, being sensitive about the future, that she will have to take up her burden in Joe’s world: "a feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely."(46)
In the end, the relationship of Joe and Janie sees the impotency of fighting over trivial matters. This takes on with nailing the bill (70), Janie’s old appearance (77) and finally, cutting the tobacco. (78) In the last scene, Joe sees that Janie is getting old, and her sexual appeal is not that of her younger ages. There was still a hint of sex when Joe was joking about her age. Joe could be thinking about having sex with her, but due to his heavy stress on work and progress, he does not know how to do
so.
To summarize, from his glamorous appearance, Joe’s successful elopement with Janie proves that Joe’s middle class values offer him higher level of social attractiveness than farmers like Logan. Joe’s entrance into power was portrayed as a promoter of material livelihood, an enlightenment figure and a mule liberator. From the series of successful acts Joe sees himself as a God that has his own programs to impose on the townsfolk. He, a strong willed and focused person, took hold of power until his death. His marriage was not an ideal one. He likes a stable marriage where the role of his spouse is fixed, never changing. Joe 's sexuality is to save up and enjoy later. Janie only stands for a political symbol. But apart from that, Joe was not ready to take any new observations on her. Joe wishes to pursue his ideal God more than a decent family life.
Citations:
Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.
Lombardi, Esther. Aspects of the Novel - E.M. Forster Quotes. About.com Classical Literature. IAC/InterActiveCorp. n.d.Web. 30 Dem. 2012.
McGowan, Todd. "Liberation and Domination: Their Eyes Were Watching God and the Evolution of Capitalism." MELUS, 1999. 109. Vol. 24. Print.