What Does Joe's House Symbolize In Their Eyes Were Watching God

In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the imagery of Joe Starks power has an impact on how his community views his position of authority.
Joe, although actually being black, is depicted as a white man to portray his power in the community. One of the ways Hurston depicts Joe as being white is through the description of his house. The narrator is describing Joe’s personality according to the townspeople’s view of him when Hurston writes, “The rest of the town looked like servant quarters surrounding the ‘big house’. And different from everybody else's in the town he put off moving in until it had been painted, in and out. And look at the way he painted it-a gloaty sparkly white” (p. 47). By Joe’s house being described

as the master's house Hurston is directly comparing him to a white slave owner. This depicts the influence he has over the town because Joe has as much power over the town as a slave owner has over his slaves. It illustrates the contrast in hierarchy between Joe and the rest of the town by writing that he, unlike everybody else, waited for his house to be painted white. The emphasis put on his house and the description of it clearly illustrates the connection between Joe being powerful and important like a white master of slaves which is how he treats the townspeople. Consequently, the people see that Joe acts like a white man, so they respond to him as if he has that type of control over them. When the townspeople are around the porch gossiping, the topic of Joe comes up, and they all start talking about their emotions towards him. Hurston writes, “It was bad enough for white people, but when one of your own color could be so different it put you on a wonder. It was like seeing your sister turn into a gator. A familiar strangeness” (p. 48). “You kin feel a switch in his hand when he’s talkin’ to yuh” (p. 49). Because Joe is black one might think that he would treat them like equals, but in reality Joe is acting like a white man which scares the townspeople into listening to whatever he says. On the outside he seems very familiar, like a relative or a sister, but when the people get to know him they realize that he is an intimidating white man. Joe at first seems like a great person to become the mayor of the town, but once he receives power no one understands him anymore and they no longer have a say in things. When Joe talks to them, it is as if he is a holding a whip forcing them to listen which makes them scared. Ultimately, as Joe takes the position of a powerful white man, his town loses all the power they had left and can do nothing but listen to his commands.
Additionally, Hurston uses the motif of Joe being compared to God to illustrate his power and show the affect it ultimately has on his community.

Through the comparisons Hurston uses of Joe to God, it portrays the godlike power he has. When people from all over the town come for the lamp lighting ceremony, Joe starts making a speech when Hurston writes, "And when Ah touch de match tuh dat lamp wick let de light penetrate inside of yuh, and let it shine, let it shine. Brother Davis, lead us in a word uh prayer" (p. 45). This quote illustrates how just like God created the world and made light through his words so to Joe creates the first lamp for his town and mimics god's actions. Additionally, it later on says “Jesus the light of the world” which is direct reference to Jesus and light when referring to Joe. As a result of this, the towns people feel they need to react to Joe as if he is a godlike figure by bending over every which way so they can listen to him. The townspeople are all gossiping about Joe when Hurston writes,"He had a bow-down command in his face, and every step he took made the thing more tangible" (p. 47). "Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows" (p. 49). Because of the way Joe acts towards his town, subsequently they feel that he is in charge of every move and feel obligated to “bow down” to Joe. When the townspeople listen to Joe, it makes them feel as if he is a godlike figure who has complete power and

control over them. Conclusively, because of the way Joe acts as a godlike figure, the townspeople feel obligated to listen to him and respond to him as if he is their ruler.