The “Rock Pile” by James Baldwin and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston are two stories that examined black male resistance to emasculation. The men in these stories lived in patriarchal societies, and they reaped the benefits of a structure that favored men. In both stories, the male characters were dominant figures in their households, and when they felt like their manhood was being attacked, they retaliated viciously. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Hurston tells the story of Janie, a black woman who because of her grandmother experiences and beliefs was forced to marry into a loveless marriage with Logan Killicks. Logan Killicks was a hard-working farmer who had 60 acres of land and could financially provide for Janie. …show more content…
This marriage ended when Janie ran away with Joe Stark, a man that she fell in love with and thought could give her the love absent between her and Logan. But Janie soon realized that her second marriage wouldn’t turn out better than her first. Joe was just as controlling and degrading as Logan. He hardly expressed his love for Janie and spoke to her like an incompetent child. Janie didn't start living until Joe died and she met a gentleman named Teacake. With Teacake, Janie felt alive, they understood and respected each other. Their marriage was full of love and compassion, two things that Janie always wanted. Her marriage with Teacake ended in a tragedy, but Janie felt like she lived a life full of new beginnings, and she was content with that. All the men in Janie’s life reacted differently to emasculation.
Logan, her first husband, treated Janie like a helper. He wanted her beside him working on the farm and the inside house working in the kitchen. Logan believed he did a great deed by marrying Janie and felt like she didn’t appreciate him enough. One day after an argument where Janie threatens to leave him, Logan asked her to help move manure on the farm, but Janie refused to help. This started a small argument where Janie told Logan that he's only angry because she doesn’t help take care of his 60 acres of ground,’ and that he didn’t do her a favor by marrying her. "Mah mamma didn't tell me Ah was born in no hurry. So whut business Ah got rushin' now? Anyhow dat ain't whut youse mad about. Youse mad 'cause Ah don't fall down and wash-up dese sixty acres uh ground yuh got. You ain't done me no favor by marryin' me. And if dat's what you call yo'self doin', Ah don't thank yuh for it. Youse mad 'cause Ah'm tellin' yuh whut you already knowed." These words hurted Logan, she attacked his ego and his manhood. He saw this as Janie demeaning his farm and implying that she was not happy that they got married. Logan responded by threatening to kill Janie with an ax and saying he’s too hard working for anyone in her family. "Don’t you change too many words wid me dis mawnin’, Janie, do Ah’ll take and change ends wid yuh. Heah, Ah just as good as take you out de white folks’ kitchen and set you down on yo’ royal …show more content…
diasticutis and you take and low-rate me! Ah’ll take holt uh dat ax and come in dere and kill yuh! You better dry up in dere! Ah’m too honest and hard-workin’ for anybody in yo’ family, at’s de reason you don’t want me!"…"Ah guess some low-lifed nigger is grinnin’ in yo’ face and lyin’ tuh yuh. God damn yo’ hide!" (4.57) Logan threatens to kill Janie because that’s the only way he knew to intimidate and hurt her. He didn’t want her to recognize that she had an affect him, so he instilled fear in her to make sure she never spoke to him like that again. Teacake, the sweetest of Janie's three husbands, survived emasculation by using her as his scapegoat.
Mrs. Turner, a woman Janie and Tea Cake met in the Everglades, was racist toward black people, she wanted Janie to meet her brother who had white features. Her plan was for Janie to leave Teacake for her brother. Teacake didn't like Mrs. Turnner because she always made it seem like Janie was wasting her time with him. When teacake overheard Mrs. Turnner telling Janie to leave him for her brother, and calling him a "no good negro," he was enraged. Her comments damaged Teacake self-confidence, plus he already felt like he didn't deserve Janie. Hearing Mrs. Turnner talks about him in such a nasty way made him think Janie was indeed too good for him. Thus, Tea Cake beats Janie to prove to Mrs. Turnner that he is the man in control of her body. Janie was his wife, whether Mrs. Turnner liked it or not. Teacake beat Janie not because she planned to leave him, but because his manhood was attacked. He felt the need to prove to Mrs. Tuner that he was not a little boy and that she couldn’t just come around and instill doubts in his wife's head. Janie, not fighting back and clinging to Teacake after the beating was proof that he had control. This brought back the confidence he lost because of Mrs. Turnner's
words. In "The Rock Pile" James Baldwin told the story of Roy and John, two half-brothers who were warned not to play on the rock pile in front of their apartment with the neighborhood kids. But Roy decided to disobey his parents and played on the rock pile with his friends. While playing on the rock pile, Roy got hurt and went home crying. His mother, Elizabeth tried calming him down before his father, Gabriel reached home, but it didn’t work. Gabriel arrived home and saw Roy injured leg. John being Gabriel's stepson was blamed for Roy's bad behavior, but Elizabeth stepped in to support John, which raised tension between Gabriel and Elizabeth. Gabriel was the man of the house; his presence could be felt throughout the entire story even when his character was not introduced. The family lives revolved around his temper. Even before he reached home, there was panic about how he would react when he saw Roy's injury. The family apprehension to anger Gabriel demonstrates that his rules were absolute, and nobody argued with or disagreed with him. Elizabeth told Gabriel to leave John alone, and Roy was only like that because he spoiled him. "You ain't going to take no strap to this boy, not today you ain't. Ain't a soul to blame for Roy's lying up there now but you-you because you done spoiled him so that he thinks he can do just anything and get away with it. I'm here to tell you that ain't no way to raise no child. You don't pray to the lord to help you do better than you been doing, you going to live to shed bitter tears that the lord didn't take his soul today." (480) This affected Gabriel so much that for a while all he did was stared at his wife with hatred in his eyes. He was so furious that Elizabeth spoke to him in such a manner that his facial expression alone translated what he was wanted to do to her. No word was spoken between them at this moment, but just seeing how her husband looked at her made Elizabeth remember her place in the household. Gabriel, when faced with emasculation, reacts in a fury of hate and violence. He feels like his wife has no right to speak against him, and her compliance at the end of the incident further contributes to Gabriel's attitude in how he handles situations like these. He couldn't believe Elizabeth was speaking to him in the manner she was that's why he had to watch her then act, the only thing that prevented him from beating his wife half dead out of anger was the fact that she was holding his child and the kids were present in the room. Elizabeth survived this act of robbing Gabriel of his manhood by leaving the room and leaving John in Gabriel's hands. Baldwin’s male characters are intimidating and stern; they believe manhood means absolute control over their household. His characters fought emasculation by instilling fear in their wives and kids, making them know when they have overstepped their boundaries. These wives and kids knew things would get physical if they didn’t remember their place. Horton's male characters, on the other hand, both physically and verbally retaliated. The men in “Their eyes were watching god” wanted their reactions to be public; they cared more about respect from their peers than respect from their wives. Although the reasons for their resistance are different both stories, shows us that Baldwin and Hurston Hurston and Baldwin both examined the emasculation and reaction of male character similarly. Both of their character's resistance to emasculation is physical and violent. Even when there is a better option to solve the situation they choose to get physical or emotionally abusive whenever they feel like their role of being the man is in danger. Most of the men in Hurston's book reaction to being emasculated was to take out there angry on the woman in their lives. The men used Janie as a scapegoat to boost their egos and prove to their peers and themselves that they are real men. Teacake could have talked to Mrs. Turnner and told her to stay away from his wife, even if she didn't listen to him he would have approached the situation like a respectable man, someone who deserved Janie's love and devotion. Gabriel could have listened to his wife explanation of what happened to Roy. Instead, he chooses to act on the idea that he is the authority figure in the household and his wife should know her place.
Mrs. Turner is a mixed woman who dislikes and is racist towards darker black people. Mrs. Turner wants Janie to leave Tea Cake and go with her light-skinned brother. Janie isn’t interested, and Tea Cake despises Mrs. Turner. She views white people as some type of god whereas the black people are merely worshipers. Janie is also lighter skinned, so Mrs. Turner enjoys Janie’s company. Janie’s uninterested self feels that Mrs. Turner is racist but harmless. Tea Cake goes out of his way to get rid of Mrs. Turner with the fight in her restaurant.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God the conflict between Janie and her grandmother, Nanny, is one for power; power over Janie’s life. To understand why Nanny has a great desire to control Janie it must also be understood what power Nanny has given up. She had lived through slavery and she “didn’t want to be used for a work-ok and a brood-sow” (Hurston 16). She was tired of not having the personal freedom that she had been wishing for. After her daughter was raped and had given birth, Nanny “Couldn’t git her to
Janie’s first marriage was to Logan Killicks, an accomplished middle aged farmer. Her grandmother wanted Janie to be financially set and be protected, so she pretty much forced Janie into marrying Logan. With her grandmothers rough past of being a slave and all she did not wa...
Janie sees Logan Killicks' perception of marriage. In the beginning, it seems like that Logan is a very nice man, who is always treating her well. “Janie felt glad of the thought, fo...
When Janie marries Logan, her life is changed completely. She was not only forced into a loveless marriage but she was also forced into a slave like position. Logan sees nothing wrong with the marriage and when Janie complains he responds with, “Ah thought you would ‘preciate good treatement. Thought Ah’d take and make somethin’ outa yuh. You think youse white folks by de way you act” (Hurston, 42). Logan sees marriage much the same way that Nanny does; he believes that because he does not abuse her and provides the necessities that Janie should be happy. According to Tracy L. Bealer’s article “The Kiss of Memory: The Problem of Love in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God,” “Though Logan does not abuse or violate Janie, even his money proves no protection from unsatisfying labor, as his ominous purchase of a mule ‘all gentled up so even uh woman kin handle ‘im’’ (26) implies the treat of compulsive labor” (316). The physical labor was only one of the problems that Janie had in her marriage with Logan; Logan looked down on Janie for having grown up with and around white people. He would insult Janie by saying, “Considerin’ youse born in a carriage ‘thout no top to it, and yo’ mama and you bein’ born and raised in de white folks back-yard” (Hurston, 40). Logan resented that Janie did not identify with other blacks as a child and saw Janie as his lesser because of this.
Though Janie had three marriages in total, each one drew her in for a different reason. She was married off to Logan Killicks by her Grandmother who wanted her to have protection and security. “Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have baby, its protection.” (Hurston 15) says Janie’s grandmother when Janie said she did not want to marry Logan. Though Janie did not agree with her grandmother, she knew that she just wanted what’s best for her. Next, she married Joe Starks, Janie was unsatisfied with her marriage to Logan so Joe came in and swept her off her feet. Janie did not like the fact that Logan was trying to make her work, so Joe’s proposition, “You ain’t never knowed what it was to be treated like a lady and ah want to be de one tuh show yuh.” (Hurston 29) was too good to pass up, so she left Logan and married Joe. Janie’s last marriage was to Tea Cake. Fed up after having been treated poorly by Joe, Janie finally found someone who liked her for who she was. “Naw, ...
In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author takes you on the journey of a woman, Janie, and her search for love, independence, and the pursuit of happiness. This pursuit seems to constantly be disregarded, yet Janie continues to hold on to the potential of grasping all that she desires. In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Hurston illustrates the ambiguity of Janie’s voice; the submissiveness of her silence and the independence she reclaims when regaining her voice. The reclaiming of Janie's independence, in the novel, correlates with the development and maturation Janie undergoes during her self discovery.
Janie’s first relationship was with Logan Killicks. She married him only because she wanted to appease her grandmother. Logan did not truly love Janie, but saw her as an asset to increase his own power. Logan expressed this through several actions. He first tries to use her to "increase his profits" rather than treating her as a wife when he travels to Lake City to buy a second mule so Janie can use it to plow in the potato field because potatoes were "bringin' big prices”. When Janie later refused to work at his command, stating that it was not her place to do so, Logan told her, "You ain't got no particular place. It's wherever Ah need yuh". After Logan told her this, Janie decided she had to either escape or face becoming her husband's mule for life. Janie stood up to her husband. This is a feminist action because Janie is willing to leave a husband who makes her unhappy, which was rare act of independence and defiance for women living in the 1930’s. To free herself from her marriage with Logan Killicks, she only needed to invalidate the elements of his symbolic vision. She recognized that for Killicks marriage was primarily a financial arrangement, and his sixty acres acted both as a sign and guarantee of matrimonial un...
Through her use of southern black language Zora Neale Hurston illustrates how to live and learn from life’s experiences. Janie, the main character in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a woman who defies what people expect of her and lives her life searching to become a better person. Not easily satisfied with material gain, Janie quickly jumps into a search to find true happiness and love in life. She finally achieves what she has searched for with her third marriage.
This is reflected in the literature of the African-American as a special bond of love and loyalty to the mother figure. Just as the role of motherhood in African-American culture is magnified and elevated, so is the role of the wife. The literature reflects this by showing the African-American man struggling to make a living for himself and his family with his wife either being emotionally or physically submissive. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. Because literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes, the portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) is consistent with the roles mentioned above.
& nbsp;   ; Second, Janie sees Logan Killicks' perception of marriage. In the beginning it appears to Janie that Logan is a very nice gentleman, who is. constantly treating her well. However, as time goes on, Janie sees Logan's the "true colors" of the.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is about a young woman that is lost in her own world. She longs to be a part of something and to have “a great journey to the horizons in search of people” (85). Janie Crawford’s journey to the horizon is told as a story to her best friend Phoebe. She experiences three marriages and three communities that “represent increasingly wide circles of experience and opportunities for expression of personal choice” (Crabtree). Their Eyes Were Watching God is an important fiction piece that explores relations throughout black communities and families. It also examines different issues such as, gender and class and these issues bring forth the theme of voice. In Janie’s attempt to find herself, she grows into a stronger woman through three marriages.
Logan sticks to the masculine stereotype roll. He believes that women are in the relationship to cater to any need of their husband. Being the male and the superior one in the relationship, he should be able to live an easy life without much worry. In the beginning of chapter 4, Janie has a flashback of what Logan told her about his last wife a couple months prior. “..."If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood nohow. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten." So Janie had told him, "Ah’m just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git no dinner. ‘Scuse mah freezolity, Mist’ Killicks, but Ah don’t mean to chop de first chip." “(Hurston 25). Janie believes that marriage consists of both husband and wife doing a little of everything to get the work done. Later in chapter four, Logan calls Janie outside to help her out in the barn. “..."You don’t need mah help out dere, Logan. Youse in yo’ place and Ah’m in mine." "You ain’t got no particular ...
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston portrays the journey of Janie Crawford as an African American woman who grows and matures through the hardships and struggles of three different marriages. Although Janie is an African American, the main themes of the novel discusses the oppression of women by men, disregarding race. Janie gets married to three different men, aging from a young and naive girl to a mature and hardened women near the age of 40. Throughout the novel, Janie suffers through these relationships and learns to cope with life by blaming others and escaping her past by running away from it. These relationships are a result of Janie chasing her dreams of finding and experiencing true love, which she ultimately does in the end. Even through the suffering and happiness, Janie’s journey is a mixture of ups and downs, and at the end, she is ultimately content. Zora Neale Hurston utilizes Janie’s metaphorical thoughts and responses of blame and escape, as well as her actions towards success and fulfillment with her relationship with Tea Cake, to suggest that her journey
The narrator is not the only black male in the story to have experience the racism with the white men. The narrator tries to get away from the racism but struggles to, he come across multiple African Americans that attempt to do the same thing. All of these provide an idea to the correct way to be black in America and it also demonstrates how blacks should act. It is said that anyone who doesn’t follow these correct ways are betraying the race. In the beginning of the story, the narrator’s grandfather says that the only way to make racism become extinct that African Americans should be overly nice to whites. The Exhorter named Ras had different beliefs of the blacks rising up to the whites and take power from the whites. Even though these thoughts come from the black community to take the freedom from the whites, the stories reveals that the are just as dangerous as the whites being racist. The narrator has such a hard time throughout the whole story exploring his identity. While doing so, it demonstrates how so many blacks are betraying their race because the have such a hard time dealing with it. In the end of the story once the battle was over the boys are brought to get their payment. That is when the narrator is able to present his speech to everyone. He was completely beat up and bruised and blood coming from his mouth and nose when he begins his speech. All the other men are laughing and yelling at him,