Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

It is appalling the way women have been treated subordinately throughout history. It is seen through advertisement, literature, and other forms of works, that women have always been lesser to men. However, it is men that oppress and influence women. Authors like Zora Neale Hurston and other vocal women have shown through their works how devastating to women, men can be. The way women have been treated throughout history has influenced their thoughts, feelings, and actions alike.

Mens actions can affect how women think. This can be shown through literature; it is seen in the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God. In the book the main character, Janie, struggles with men her whole life. Therefore, her struggle with men influences how she thinks

about her own gender. For example Janie says, “De nigger women is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see” (Hurston 14). Janie thinks women are lesser than men because of the way she was raised and the way she has been treated by men; she compares women to mules. Additionally, men affecting women's thoughts can also be seen in the poem, “Verses Written by a Young Lady, on Women Born to Be Controll’d!”. The authors writes, “How wretched is a woman’s fate, No happy change her fortune knows; Subject to man in every state, How can she then be free from woes?” (Anonymous 1). The author Anonymous, whomever it may be, was somehow influenced by a man to just believe that women have no chance at changing their fate from being wretched by men. The author thinks that from the start women are already unhappy, and it is because of men. But, not only do men affect how women think, they affect their feelings too.
Mens actions can affect how women feel.

As referenced earlier, this can be seen in, Their Eyes Were Watching God. In the text Janie marries Joe Starks, a wealthy and powerful man. As their relationship grows old, so does Joe’s love. He starts to play with Janie’s feelings. For example, “He didn’t really hate Janie, but he wanted her to think so” (Hurston 77). As you can see, Joe lied to Janie, he made her feel low and worthless; he made her think she was that way. Furthermore, the poem, “Verses Written by a Young Lady, on Women Born to be Controll’d”, is also a perfect example of male influence. The poem states, “That I may cheerfully your will obey” (Anonymous 20). In the women’s lifetime she has learned to listen to men; she will force a feeling of cheerfulness while obeying. The man has influenced her to obey and act happy. Additionally, even in advertisement mens influence can be seen. In the ad the woman is smiling and seems happy to be serving her husband just because of a tie he chose to wear. The tie ad even quotes,”...power-packed patterns that tell her it’s a man’s world” (Van Heusen 1951). Basically, him wearing a tie is influencing her to be happy. This only furthers my thesis that throughout history men have been the major influence on women’s feelings; however, men’s actions also influence women’s

actions.
Men’s actions can directly influence a woman’s action. In the previously mentioned literature, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie was influenced often by her love interests, but specifically Tea Cake. She fell for him quickly, and tried to impress him often. The book reads, “ Wear the new blue dress because he meant to marry her right from the train” (Hurston 111). This may seem sweet, but it did cause many to judge Janie, and it was still a form of a man influencing a woman. TeaCake telling her to wear the dress is a form of control. Similarly, the tie ad is another perfect example. The ad pictures a woman on her knees serving the man. His action of wearing the tie influenced her to serve him. That shows men’s dominance over women. Also, the ad was printed in 1951; therefore, being an example that women's suffrage is seen throughout all of history and men’s actions continuously influenced women. Which leads to my conclusion of the topic.
The way women have been treated throughout history has influenced their thoughts, feelings, and actions alike. Women have been oppressed multiple times during history. It is seen in not only literature, but other forms like advertisement as well. The treatment women recieve influences them greater than you may think. How would you feel if you were treated lesser because of a gender? Maybe times need to keep changing?