Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

Feminist Blasphemy: Symbolism and Rebellion

Adding to the recurrent references to feminism, the use of animalization is used in Their Eyes Were Watching God as a vehicle to drive symbolic weight. Throughout the novel, written by Zora Neale Hurston, the animal symbolically used is a mule and is episodically brought up throughout the novel. In addition to the mule casting the load of burden and weight to African Americans, Hurston sympathetically uses it as a symbol to represent the struggling independence of black women during this time period. The protagonist, Janie, can allegorically be seen as a mule in this novel through the harsh burdensome treatment of her husbands, her constant struggle with the patriarchal system of early 20th century

America, and her self-determination for independence.
Other authors have juxtaposed views towards Hurston when determining the symbolism of the mule and how it relates to black women as a whole. SallyAnn Ferguson writes in her critiques over Hurston’s novel Folkloric Men and Female Growth in Their Eyes Were Watching God that Janie, along with white women during this time, began to develop a sense of resistance to the discovery of seeing them being perceived as objects. This latest breakthrough “drove white females to begin a movement to liberate themselves from these loving brothers, fathers and lovers who oppress” them (Ferguson; 189). Ferguson can relate to Hurston in regards that these women are revolting against white oppression, similar to a mule revolting against its human master.
Janie crosses swords with societal norms throughout the novel.

She explores multiple marriages, each being different from one another. Janie’s mother states that women are “de mules uh de world” (Hurston; 29). This suggests that Hurston contains feminist principles within this scenario of Janie going through multiple relationships. Claire Crabtree publishes an article relating to Hurston’s novel titled The Confluence of Folklore, Feminism and Black Self-Determination in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God that relates these marriages to the suggestion that “women [are] seen as valuable only as long as she hesitates; once she is won over and possessed in some way, she ceases to arouse interest or be perceived as valuable” (Crabtree; 59). This implies Janie is treated in a relative same sense as an animal to her husbands. Crabtree also states that her husband, Killicks, includes a mule with her work in the fields, claiming a direct reference to “her elopement with Starks” (Crabtree; 59). While one perspective supports the assumption that Janie is a workhorse like a mule, Hurston also tries to paint the picture that Janie never gives up, even when she is consistently beaten by the patriarchal system she is enslaved in. Janie expresses this behavior when she declares that she can “Utilize mahself all over” (Hurston; 169) to Tea

Cake.
This can compare to Ferguson’s article in the way that black women live in a male dominated world. Anything that is not in charge is inevitably the product of manipulation and burdensome tasks, similar to the life of a mule. Crabtree and Ferguson both see signs of character flaws in Their Eyes Were Watching God that “keep each man from becoming Janie’s Prince Charming, but also radically defines the black woman’s quest for life” (Ferguson; 186). Janie must evolve with each relationship she has in her journey to self-independence. This is cut short when Janie’s husband, Joe, decides to purchase the mistreated mule just for the sake of appearing like a compassionate man. Joe wants the town to associate him with someone who is powerful, and he is determined to prove that he can commit to responsibilities like rescuing an abused beast. Janie can be categorized with the mule because she is also brought into the town of Eatonville in order to solidify Joe’s image of being a compassionate man.
Hurston shows briefly the independence of the mule. The mule can openly graze around the town while Janie is trapped in the store. She hints that the mule has stubborn behavior since it was not satisfied with its current location. The mule’s master, Matt, declares the mule “wuzn’t satisfied there. So one mornin’ he got straddle uh de mule and he took and brought ‘im on off. Mule had sense” (Hurston; 56). This is a direct reference to Janie being the independent woman that she is. The importance of the symbolism is that her independence, however, also comes at a price. She has to leave each husband in a dramatic manner: usually by death. After Janie kills Tea Cake, she is forced to go to trial. This is an example of when the audience can see a detachment from the linkage between the symbolism of the mule and woman. Janie is offered a trial, which humanizes Janie’s character since the same fate would not have been tolerated with the mule. The decisions made after the trial show signs of individualism for Janie, because she is free from her husbands. Turning the story around on Janie’s husbands as the victims of Janie’s inevitable future of independence, they could have easily been the beasts of burden as well. Hurston uses the mule as an interchangeable symbol to represent both the husbands being the burden of Janie and on the other side the mule is used to show how Janie can achieve mortality and womanhood through independence.
Hurston sets the tone of the novel to be assertive with feminism when writing the metaphoric and literal killing of Tea Cake. Janie will forever live under the domination of man unless she forces her way out. When she goes about marrying Tea Cake, she is at the mercy of his discretion. This transfers an authoritative image from one husband to another. The only way to escape this imprisonment is to kill him and the figure he represents. The scene sets up an ultimatum – a kill or be killed scenario. Janie’s role in this novel is to resist male domination even if it means killing her husband(s). This optimism in Janie’s character shows her self-determination to keep going when she attempts another marriage, which is unalike, the societal norm during this time.
This ideology contrasts with Missy Dehn Kubitschek’s claims in “Tuh De horizon And Back”: The Female Quest In Their Eyes Were Watching God that “Tea Cake is Janie’s companion on her quest, not her master or mentor” (Kubitschek; 111). Kubitschek suggests that Tea Cake helps Janie move into her new vision of independence with the inheritance of masculine duties Tea Cake bestows on her such as marksmanship. This can be looked through a new perspective in that with the help of man, women can empower themselves. This can be seen as the acceptance of self-defense and violence that leads to the inevitable fate of Tea Cake. During the violence with the mule outside of the store, Janie begins to understand the properties at which she needs to address to herself and society. The mule was in pain and “was soon panting and heaving from the effort of spinning his old carcass about. Everybody was having fun at the mule baiting. All but Janie.” (Hurston; 56) Janie’s reaction to the unpleasant activities demonstrated on the mule can be interpreted as a reaction to her own personal dilemma since her grandmother, Nanny, has identified the black woman as the mule of the world (Hurston; 29).
Hurston creates the mule to have cloudy imagery to generate alternate implications to its audience. This is an effective approach to connect with the audience in different cultures and time periods because it can be interpreted contrarily. This progressive thinking is shown through her writings in Their Eyes Were Watching God since Janie never gave up on her freedom. She adapted to her new environments and learns how to deal with male domination in her life. This could be compared to the symbol of the mule never giving up on the task at hand. The behavior of the beast is to always move forward, in complete disregard of the difficulty presented. Janie has the behavior of the mule in this perspective. Crabtree emphasizes on Janie’s “widening mental horizons through her experience on Joe’s porch,” after witnessing the events directed towards the mule (Crabtree; 63). Once Janie can accept violence administered onto the bull, she can separate herself from the burdensome association with the mule and begin the walk down the road of resistance. By leaving her linkage with the mule, her character shows signs of liberation.
To further investigate the symbolism of the mule, speculation is directed towards the title of Hurston’s novel.

The symbolism in this research is pointed towards the idea that the mule is at the mercy of its master. It is constantly performing tasks at its inconvenience. This could point to the most obvious symbol that the title of the book could be the women. The mule (their eyes) is watching God. When Nanny says, “De nigger woman is de mule uh de world” (Hurston; 29), one could argue that the African American woman represents all of whom is looking up to their higher being: God. Could the patriarchal figures in Janie’s life be a representation of her God? Hurston could have possibly created this way of thinking to challenge the way society looks at women and the way women look up to

men.
This novel is indisputably about feminism. It is about the “black woman’s conflict with, but need to love, the black man” (Ferguson; 195). When looking through the viewpoint of the mule, this can relate to its relationship with its master. A mule is forgiving and does not hold grudges to its human master. Janie cannot hold a grudge against men, black or white. This symbolism of the mule is an effective representation of the shape Hurston takes the story to, being a realistic approach of a new black female world vision.
Expanding on the idea that the black women is the beast of burden by being the mule of the world, she will inescapably face challenges with male dominating societal figures. Hurston writes about life after oppression by using the mule as a symbol of stubborn resistance yet having feelings of forgiveness for white and black men. Janie presents signs of loyalty by returning everyday to her husband of the respective time, but also shows qualities of rebellion by freeing herself in the very end. This stubborn resistance can compare to the psychological behaviors of a mule. Janie’s husbands want to “figuratively make her [their] mule,” (Ferguson; 185) and Janie responds to this oppression by leaving them. She is the symbol of the mule as the beast of burden as well as the stubborn resister to brutal force. In a way, Janie can be both. Hurston creates this character to show black women’s constant fight for control and their everlasting goal for independence from the patriarchal society they are trapped in.