Their Eyes Were Watching God: Chapter 4-8

In sight of having married Joe Starks through some what desperation and eagerness for a better horizon, Janie joins him on his search for business. They arrive at a small town, quickly finding their hopes dis-inflated at the sight of what they can barely call a town. However, this does not stop Joe from taking charge and he does so quickly. With his confidence and poise he hires men from the town to help him build his store, surely enough earning Joe the title of Mayor due to the absence of a former one. It is when he is named mayor that the first signs of faults to Joe’s character start showing. It not only become evident to us, but to Janie’s character as well. When the townspeople ask Janie, “Ms.Mayor”, to speak, Joe refuses and says there is no room for women making speeches. This reveals the sexism that lives inside Joe and that mentality we had not clearly seen before. This more thoroughly adds to the theme of gender roles that we see in the novel through Janie and the relationship with her first husband. Signs of Joe’s faults were given at first when introduced to his character. He told Janie right away about his business, foreshadowing his further infatuation with power rather than care for people, in particular Janie.

Joe states that the town needs a street lamp and it is through this that he creates a sense of pride for the townspeople toward their town. Regardless of the townspeople worries, Janie is still annoyed with Joe and his lack of time for her, obviously showing the cracks in her better horizon that she thought to be promised in the form of Joe. He possesses a dominant hand over Janie and tries to craft her into the woman he has in mind for himself.

In the store Joe makes Janie put her hair up with a rag, which in link, symbolizes his control over her as Janie’s hair in previous chapters had been depicted as her sexuality. The towns people comment on her hair and speak of the way Jody makes her put it up, metaphorically speaking, the author is referring to Janie's hair as her potential and the way she ties it up thanks to Joe, as her shackle. Later on, the level of Joe’s dominance over Janie grows and her resentment builds with it. He speaks of her incompetence at any slight mistake she might make, an ironic accusation since Joe’s power in particular is what is making Janie conform. Although the mule, which Joe buys to please Janie, may seem like an act of kindness, it is only attained through money, which in retrospective is just another portrayal of his obsession with power. Janie not only feels resentment for her husband but begins to hate the life she lives in its entirety and become exasperated.

Jody begins to deteriorate physically and emotionally, becoming sickly and vicious towards Janie all the same. Despite Janie’s hatred for her aging husband she calls for a doctor which informs her that Jody is soon to die. On his deathbed, Janie and him get into an argument which results in the complete breakdown of Joe’s character. Janie insults him and accuses him of his excessive dominance and ego, upon this Joe realizes the truth in her words and begs her to stop. He then dies and Janie’s first act is to release the rag that has tied up her hair for long enough. Through this act she reasserts her right and breaks the dominance that Jody had cast upon her. It is in this moment of confrontation and the death of her husband that a realization of self path is conquered.