Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

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Recommended: What is the characterization of janie in their eyes watching god

The differences of the human race are unfathomable; Therefore, it goes without saying that arguments will arise, how we handle these situations reveals our character. The physical abuse implored on Janie in Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals true aspects of gender roles and marital relationships in the twentieth century. Hurston shows no hesitation when broaching such topics; I presume this is because of the conventional view upon male and female relationships shown in the past. The novel opens with a gender slander right off the bat, "Ships at a distance... act and do things acordingly.", (pg. 1) clearly hinting at the pugnacious nature regarding the differences between men and women. Hurston continues to reveal the incredulous thoughts of men superiority by exploring the admiration that the co-workers of Tea Cake share upon the fact that he has such dominance over her. Yet both examples fall to the way-side once the indiscriminate literal abuse, that two out of three of her lovers inflict upon her, begins. All of these factors serve as evidence supporting generalizations of relationships in the 1900s.

Sexism is described as "discrimination based upon a persons sex, as in (but not limited to) restricted job opportunities; especially, such discrimination directed against women." Hurston opens Their Eyes WereWatching God with a statement that properly represents these exact stereotypes, "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board... Now women... The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (pg. 1-2) She cannot help but romanticize a women's mind, claiming that women are dreamers, people who disregard every negative connotation for the slightest glimmer of hope. She stat...

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...ood for thought and possibly even the drive to research further into the issues pertaining to relationships prior to this day in age as well as modern ones.

Works Cited

"A Safe Place." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

"Domestic Violence Essays." Book Rags. Glam Family, n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

Robins, Warner. "Domestic Violence." The Salvation Army Safe House. The Salvation Army Safe House, n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

"Sexism." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC. , n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

Shmoop, Inc. "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Shmoop XLV. Shmoop Inc, n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .

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