“Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression” (Nelson Mandela). History has shown that women have always been treated unequally compared to men. They are heavily repressed by stereotypes formed by society and by men who believe they are superior to women. Zora Neale Hurston explores the roles of women in the novel, Their Eyes were Watching God, through the characters of Janie and her second husband, Joe Starks. Even with two different marriages Janie never got the chance to be who she really was; the men in her life held Janie back from what she wanted. Similarly in the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is the wife to Tom Buchanan who is an arrogant man that seeks …show more content…
In both novels, Joe and Tom were in control of the women. Therefore, women are typically seen as below the other gender because of their roles assigned by the society.
To begin, men have superiority and power over women. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Joe Starks is a great example of this. While working in the store, Joe makes Janie wear a head rag so that her luscious hair can only be seen by him, while staying hidden from others. Janie lost all control when she realized that, “her hair was NOT going to show in the store….She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others” (Hurston 73). Joe clearly illustrates that Janie’s sole purpose is to serve and please only him. He will do so much as to demand Janie to wear her hair in a certain way so it doesn’t distract any of the customers. Joe tries to maintain his superiority over Janie by not letting her be herself and telling her what she needs to do. Janie is to be his object of control and she must always obey him. It is obvious how society expects all women to conform to their husbands rules and any disobedience leads to punishment. Unfortunately, Janie had complied to her husband’s rule by tying her hair up because she did
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After arriving to Eatonville, Joe has become the new mayor of the town. The people, in excitement of the changes the town is experiencing, want to hear some encouragement from Janie on behalf of Joe being the mayor, but Joe replies, "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 woman and her place is in de home" (Hurston 61). Joe thinks that women do not have the intellectual capacity of men and should not be allowed to speak. He cuts short any chance for Janie to make herself heard because society considers a woman’s place to not be in the public eye, but to be in the privacy of the home. Joe refuses to let Janie speak out, and by not allowing her use her voice, he isolates her from everyone. Society wants women to isolate themselves and inevitably, their voices are lost. Likewise, when Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, kept on repeating Daisy’s name,Tom got so mad that he punched her in her nose Tom dominated Myrtle by, “making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald 37). To assert his dominance Tom used forceful tactics to control Myrtle and keep her quiet. Due to Tom being so powerful, Myrtle was afraid to stand up for herself because she knew women were not as powerful compared to men. This proves that society has created a “rule” on how women are to be subordinate to men. When women don’t follow
In American society, love, social class, and ambition are in the present life of Americans. Both books "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Hurston, are examples of Gatsby and Janie and their strive to reach the American dream. Both Gatsby and Janie are searching for love. Gatsby has found his love for Daisy, but he can’t have her because of there differences between social classes. On the other hand, Janie spends her journey searching for sense of herself and someone who treats her as equal. Despite the beginning of their past life they both reach the appearance of wealth and fortune. For Gatsby, his character is a delusion created by those who spread rumors just by seeing him throw the lavish parties. Gatsby's wealth is only a front because he was given the house from wealth and illegal dealings with Meyer Wolfsheim. Janie's character changes throughout the story in search of her identity. Janie inherited money from the death of her second husband. But the money doesn’t mean much to her ever since she met Tea Cake but still uses her money to provide for the both of them. Gatsby and Janie faced challenges on the search for their American Dream. In
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
Set in the Roaring ‘20s, The Great Gatsby focuses mainly on the lives of men as Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. However, it also clearly outlines the lives of several women : Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. On the surface, the lives of these women couldn’t be more different. Daisy, a rich debutante, is torn between her husband, Tom, or her first love, Jay Gatsby. Lower on the social ladder is Myrtle, who is having an affair with Tom, hoping to rise above her station in life. Jordan, on the other hand, is unmarried and a successful golfer, who travels the country participating in tournaments. While these women may have seemed independent, they’re still subject to the will of society which sees them as inferior and objects to be controlled by men.
There was a time (not so long ago) when a man's superiority and authority wasn't a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, "Desiree's Baby", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning submission…alone, a woman is nothing.
The novels Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald are alike in many different ways, one being that they are both American novels set in the 1920’s. Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the life of a woman named Janie and her pursuit of love with her many husbands. The Great Gatsby is about a young entrepreneur named Nick that meets a mysterious rich fellow by the name of Gatsby who is in love with his cousin, Daisy. However, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, which creates conflict between Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby. In these two novels there are character interactions, places and events that reveal the best of society. Some of these places are the parties Gatsby throws and a place in the
In the early months of their marriage, Jody is able to transform Janie into a wife representative of his newly acquired wealth and rank as he instructs her to wear her finest dress for the opening of the store (Hurston, p. 41). Her submission to this request allows Jody to believe that Janie can be made in to an obedient wife who will bolster his reputation and connections within their community. Therefore, as their marriage progresses Jody’s attempts at dominance increase. For example, when Jody is elected mayor of Eatonville Janie is asked to give a speech in celebration of his accomplishment and Jody answers for her saying she will not speak because “She’s uh woman” (Hurston, p. 43). Here, in particular, control is intertwined with language and speech because allowing Janie to speak would be allowing her to assert her identity in her own words. Janie is taken aback by her husband’s decision but does not speak against him instead she “made her face laugh after a short pause, but it wasn’t too easy” (Hurston, p. 43). Her reluctance to speak against him and her forced laugh are significant because they indicate once again that Janie is willing to submit to her husband in order to share in his
Most individuals overlook or basically don 't recognize these sexual orientation contrasts. Women were constantly delegated being weak in their relational unions, legislative issues, and the workforce. Likewise being seen as subordinate to their spouses and are not deserving of deciding. Seen as simply a "mother" to stay at home and go to her kids throughout the day, while the spouse attempts to bring home the bread. Gender stereotyping, gender roles, and power is seen all through everything, for example, relationships, workplaces, or at home. The way she represented herself and her spouse accurately and deferentially then she was seen as dutiful and a decent wife. Despite the fact that there were ladies developments to change these sex ideas and generalizations, it has not disposed of the thought. This thought is still inserted into numerous men 's heads. Society still advances the thought of women being short of what a man is through motion pictures, media, workforce, advertisements, and games. Movies delineate men as being effective and ladies as frail. This all ties into Zora Neale Hurston 's novel and how men and ladies were pushed off due to their sex. This is the reason why Zora sets up her female characters as being frail and feeble and men as predominant and influential. Zora Neale Hurston uses the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God to
The eyes are a one-way street to a person’s soul. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, there are many connections between eyes and a greater symbol, which symbol lies deep within the story. The reader is given small hints through the story on how the character truly is, based on descriptions of the character’s eyes. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the eyes of various characters are used as a symbol, from the symbol of being able to reveal true personalities to being an all mighty figure.
With the increasing popularity of female-oriented post-secondary education, the growing number of women working outside the home in professional occupations and the newly granted right to suffrage, women directly challenged the traditional notions of American Womanhood in the 1920’s. In just seventy one years since the Seneca Falls Convention, feminists in America accomplished sweeping changes for women politically, economically, and socially. Attempting to reconcile the changing concept of womanhood with more traditional female roles, male writers often included depictions of this “New Woman” in their novels. Frequently, the male writers of the Progressive Era saw the New Woman as challenging the very fabric of society and, subsequently, included
Tom Buchanan and George Wilson have plenty in common with their attitude pertaining towards women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald throughout the entire novel gives the audience an insight on his thoughts about the nature of man. Fitzgerald portrays men often treating women harshly throughout his novel. For example, there are many violent acts towards women, a constant presence of dominance, and also ironically Tom and Georges over reactions to being cheated on.
During the 1920’s, the role women had under men was making a drastic change, and it is shown in The Great Gatsby by two of the main female characters: Daisy and Jordan. One was domesticated and immobile while the other was not. Both of them portray different and important characteristics of the normal woman growing up in the 1920’s. The image of the woman was changing along with morals. Females began to challenge the government and the society. Things like this upset people, especially the men. The men were upset because this showed that they were losing their long-term dominance over the female society.
From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are
“I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). This quote is as true now as it was when Daisy Buchanan said it about her daughter in The Great Gatsby. Women grow up in a box of expectations. They are told to act a certain way and do certain things. Daisy knew that this was the world that her daughter was going to be growing up in, and that if she grew up to be a fool then she would fit into the world very nicely. If she grew up and became someone who noticed inequality, or who wanted independence, she would struggle in the world. While woman are no longer put in such a black and white box, there are still many expectations and limitations that woman have to face in their
Hollywood producers, writers, U.S. representatives and senators, actors, and even television show hosts. What do they all have in common? These men have all been accused of sexual misconduct, and “have since been fired or forced to resign” (Almukhtar). An article called “After Weinstein: 45 Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct and Their Fall From Power” by Sarah Almukhtar portrays the accusations and fallouts many influential men have faced due to sexual misconduct and disrespect towards women. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck both provide examples of how women were abused by men.
The Portrayal of Women in American Literature Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different way than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may have represented his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays her as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the main female character, Daisy Buchanan, is portrayed by, Nick, the narrator, only by her superficial qualities.