Topic > The Problem of Gender Roles in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

During the 1900s, women, especially African American women, were treated as the property of men in the United States, primarily in the South, in states like Georgia and Florida. Women were forced into submission and could do nothing about it. In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Zora Neale Hurston shows the problem of gender roles through the story of a young African American woman named Janie, who struggled against an arranged marriage and through multiple characters and the plot, sexism comes on the surface. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay At the beginning of this novel it is evident that the roles of men and women play a very important role in the book "long-distance ships have every desire of man on board. Or some come with the tide. For others they sail forever... Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and they remember everything I don't want to forget." In this opening paragraph where their eyes look to God, Hurston compares the desires and dreams of men and women in a particularly interesting way. By using the sea as a symbol he is saying that men can never truly control their dreams, but only wait for them to. become reality. While women, on the other hand, can take charge of their jeans, styling them as they see fit. By making this comparison it establishes the theme of gender differences between her and by using the sea as a symbol, she is saying that men can never truly control their dreams, but only wait for them to come true. While women, on the other hand, can take charge of their jeans, styling them as they see fit. Making this comparison establishes the theme of gender differences throughout the novel and ultimately foreshadows the fact that JaNia will fight but stop at nothing to achieve what she sets out to do. After setting the tone, the nanny is introduced to her traditional values ​​of feminine roles like cooking and cleaning leading us to believe that JaNia will be the same, but when Janie kisses Johnny Taylor, her view of men changes after seeing "a bringer of dust the sink in the sanctuary of a flower; the thousand cups sisters arch to meet the love in couple and the ecstatic thrill of the tree from the path to the smallest branch that cleans each flower and foams with light So this was a wedding in which she had been summoned to hold a revelation" this paragraph is one of the most important if not the most important of the entire book. Likening love to the relationship between a B and her flour, Jane Jane suddenly creates love, passion and, above all, someone she can consider her equal. Unfortunately, however, equality was a foreign concept in this time period. Men were seen as "all-powerful", considered the sole providers and the only ones allowed to hold any type of office or high-ranking job. The woman, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Ingenious first report, it is clear that this is not the equality he was hoping for. Logan Killicks is an older black man who her grandmother made her marry treats JaNia like a servant and not a wife there is no love president, and every day is a chore even though the nanny knows JaNia is not happy she insists marriage is good "hey, you're the only organ among the colored people, on probation. I got a house bought and paid for and sixty acres of land right on the big road... I'd be in trouble! That's really all it's black women's clothing that holds up" in the nanny's speech, Hurston tries to point out that the only female role is to get married and look good and..