Their Eyes Were Watching God Gender Analysis

Different social classes come with different perspectives and challenges, usually the belief is that higher society is much happier than those in the lower rank, but not including race into the education does not give all sides of that story. By evaluating parts in Cane by Jean Toomer, Quicksand and Passing by Nella Larsen, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston story of class and race is being told. Color and classism have gone hand in hand for many years and evaluating the lives of characters that are considered the lowest of the low and yet made it up the totem pole brings up an important discussion. The conflicting ideas of race and class actually encourage racism and ruin the lives of characters in the black bourgeoisie.

To begin to understand how the differing ideas of race and class damage the black bourgeoisie we must first try and decipher the workings of classism. A popular phrase that is used express frustration with the upper class is “the rich get richer while the poor get poorer” which simplifies the workings of how the upper class really earns the top spot on the totem pole. In the poem Reapers Toomer goes more in-depth on how the upper class uses and sometimes abuses the lower class in order to get on top. The overall presentation of this topic makes it seem like it’s a simple farm activity, but when looking closer the comparisons with the class system is clear. The reapers are at the top of the hierarchy; the horses are in the middle, and the mice at the very bottom. The hierarchy is seen in action when “ I see the blade, Blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade”
(Toomer 6) .The reapers use scythes to collect crops how the grim reaper uses a scythe to collect souls. Those souls belong to the mice, weeds and shade. The mice, weeds and shade represent many things, but mainly the natural world, the lower class and black people in American. The overall understanding when looking at these examples is that in order to thrive the upper class must kill and take advantage of the lower class, while also making sure that the lower class stays in the lower class.
This of abusing and even killing in order to stay at the top is something that was very much used during slavery by plantation owners. They made sure that slaves were seen as less than human and the lowest in the social ladder, even by whites that were considered lower class. This made opinion society is skin tone and race as something that determined social standing. Flashing forward to the setting in Larsens books the effects of this belief system is seen in how the black bourgeoisie act and are treated.
Passing shows well educated and yet underprivileged the black bourgeoisie is compared to their white counterpart. Although wealthy the black bourgeoisie has always had to stay in the place that white society had for. They could afford things like taxi rides and staying at nice hotels, but the white only signs stopped any dream of ever actually climbing the hierarchy created by white slave owners. The frustration of this lack of advancement is something that is most clearly seen in Brian. Brain is a doctor, a profession that is seen as highly regarded in society, but Brain is displeased with the way that his true potential is never achieved. The white society that he lives in doesn’t allow for growth and recognition of achievements. Besides the lack of understanding a very important effect on Brian the racism has had on Brain is internalized racism. Even though Brian does not have to fight with his white side like Irene the idea of helping lower class black Americans seems to only be a hassle for him. This of course is attributed to the fact that whiteness is presented as high class and lower class citizens are only there to help the upper class succeed.
Larsen continues this idea of a fight with racism by presenting us with the tragic mulattos. The two most important characters in the novel are of mixed race and actually look light enough to pass as white. Irene and Clare live in two different worlds essentially. Clare denies here black self and is living a miserable life, while Irene only denies her black side when it is convenient. Both women fight with themselves as to where they fight in, but the fear of being seen as black and through for below people of the same social status frightens Clare and Irene. Irene’s indecision to choose one world allows her to be “caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race” (Larsen 225). Irene and Clare both don’t want to live below their station so end up unhappy and with internal struggles as to who or what race they belong to. Clare’s denial of her blackness and Irene’s need for benefits befitting her station eventually end with the death of Clare and Irene as a top suspect. The internalized racism and classism that is the outcome of the mixing of class and race in the black bourgeoisie never ends well and can sometimes be the cause of death as proven above.
A great example of death by classism is the death of Joe in Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Joe is considered an average man with big dreams before arriving at the town. After taking control as mayor his whole demeanor changed. Using a banker as inspiration Joe becomes someone solely focused on image and being above the other people in the town. The life he claims as is own is nothing but a façade with Janie as an ornament. Joes view on what Janies role was going to be was clear from the beginning he believed that a “pretty baby-doll lak you is made to sit on de front porch” making it clear that Janie is a valuable thing not a person (Hurston 29). Joe’s continues the show he is giving the town until Janie tires of them and embarrasses him on the stage he has built in front of his entire audience. The destruction of the façade that has been created over the years causes him to self-destruct, literally. His image is everything to him and once it is ruined he has nothing to live for anymore. The people he believed were below him now laugh at and no longer take him seriously. His life solely depended on keeping him self above the other people in his community without that ability he no longer had anything to live for. As shown in Larsen’s novel living with this idea of classism sometimes goes hand in hand with a struggle with

race.
Janie is considered a mulatto because of her mixed heritage, but it is never indicated that she believed herself to be better for it. Mrs. Turner is a different story she believes that lighter skin should allow her and Janie to have “uh class tuh [them] selves” because she doesn’t want to be associated with people she considers inferior (Hurston 142). Climbing the social ladder seems to be her only goal and is even accepting of the marriage Janie has with teacake when she believes he has money. If a black man is poor she wouldn’t consider associating herself with him and has even stated that marrying to lighten up the black community would be better. Instead of being angry with the white community for enslaving the black community and automatically making them of a lower status, she worships them and hates her black side. Although American Society considers her fully black the argument presented by her is that she is lighter and therefore better than darker people. She insists on helping Janie find the way and wants her meet her brother I order to separate her from a person she considers below them.
Like stated before classism and racism only really leads to death and tragedy in the black community so its no surprise when Mrs. Turner actions end up doing just that. Her disregard for Janie and Teacake’s relationship cause Teacakes decent into madness. He can’t control the jealousy Mrs. Turner’s brother brings him and ends up hitting Janie to show his possession of her. When the dog bites Teacake after refusing to leave the everglades the jealousy just grows and leads him to his death. Mrs. Turner in effect poisoned their relationship with her racism and classism and didn’t allow them to live their romance in peace.
The black bourgeoisie are a product of the social structure they have tried so desperately to climb up. Before they were even able to start and climb the rules of who was on top and who was at the bottom were set. Slavery in America created a social structure that defies the original rules of who gets to be on top. Usually the richer you are the higher you are on the ladder. Slavery included skin tone into the equation and made it almost impossible for anyone not white to succeed. In order to succeed it was also essential for you to take advantage and disregard anyone of the lower class. The lower class was only really there to help you gain more wealth and nothing else. When blacks in America finally began to climb the ladder it was a disappointing way to the top. The end result was never reaching your full potential and a sudden disregard for blacks of the lower class. When at the top your only worry is getting higher and higher, but no matter how high you got it was never enough your and blackness always pulled you back, but sometimes the bit of whiteness you had could help you while ruining your life.
Being of mixed race mean that you would never fit in and would most likely end up with the short end of the stick. Having no place to go made you more susceptible to internalized racism and could very well end your life.