Rape In Janie Crawford's Their Eyes Were Watching God

Each year, over 300,000 women are raped in the United States. As a result, 1 in 5 women have the chance of being a rape victim. Violence against women goes in hand as well, as every 9 seconds, a woman is a victim of either violence or domestic abuse. These phenomenons need awareness brought to them so one day these cruel actions will be stopped for good. However, many classrooms do not teach this topic and choose to ignore it for the sake of their educational programs. The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, for example, uses rape in the story to enhance the solemn background of the main character, Janie. Many schools have banned this book as it introduces this topic openly. Therefore, although the novel contains controversial topics such

Janie Crawford, the novel’s main character, is an African American woman who eventually married three times throughout her lifetime. Her mother was raped by her schoolteacher and eventually gave birth to Janie, leaving her behind for Janie’s grandmother to raise her. A research article focused on Their Eyes Were Watching God concluded that “The devastating impact of the white discourse on black people which has targeted their identity is an integral part of this paper” (J Nov. Appl Sci. 1). It is evident in the novel that Janie (along with several other African Americans) are mistreated because of their skin color. This novel was set in the early 1900s, when although slavery was abolished, African Americans were not treated equally; the whites still held an unwritten superiority towards them. Although an imbalance of equality between whites and blacks is present, this novel should not be banned from the classroom because it teaches the cruel but true history of our nation. Our country’s history cannot be ignored like this, because it is a part of a valuable piece of literature and it makes society appreciate our new customs of equality that currently

It has already been banned from several schools across the country due to this controversial affair. In the novel, Janie claims that “Dat’s how come us don’t git o further than us do. Us talks about de white man keepin’ us down” (Hurston 72). Janie is explaining how the African Americans are being put down by the whites in an order to make a change, or to “git further” in life. Several individuals may find this topic a sensitive issue and prefer not to discuss these discrepancies in an educational environment amongst a blend of cultures. If the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and similar titles to it are banished from the classroom setting, there would be less controversy amongst students who may find such content offensive. Therefore, these titles should be banned in order to avoid future disputes about delicate