by: Bethany Maupin
The Female Frontier
In the male-dominated society of the early 1900s, women had a certain place with specific duties to fulfill. Women were pretty to look at, but had no mind of their own. Thus, they didn’t need to make speeches, voice their opinion, or vote. Women could work in the home, on the farm, or in a store, but that was as close as they got to the world of the men. Outside of work, women did not join in the activities of the men. A woman’s opinions and beliefs were defined by her husband; each wife was a silent, supportive shadow. Into a society with this ingrained mindset stepped Zora Neale Hurston, leading the way for other women authors. Their Eyes Were Watching God introduced women to what they were missing, how much life was out there to be lived. It was written in a way that made women feel unsatisfied with their former life; made them long for an identity of their own.
The main theme of Hurston’s book, self-revelation, is evident in the primary conflict. Throughout the book, Janie Crawford, the main character, struggles against discrimination against women. In order to identify herself and her place in the world, she defies the societal expectations that define the women of her generation. Janie embodies independence and the freedom that comes with it. She prevails over traditional values, gender discrimination, and criticism to assert herself. Through three different marriages and many ups and downs, Janie finds her identity and experiences life on her own terms. Rejecting mediocrity, she refuses to be a farm animal defined by work or merely a pretty face defined by her husband. In the end, she finds a relationship in which she is loved and accepted as an equal. She finds someone who encourages instead of hindering her desire to define her own identity and what she wants from life. Hurston shows how Janie goes on to make her own place in society, marriage, and the workplace. After meeting one obstacle after the next, Janie gains the independence to realize in herself that person she has been searching for all along.
Over the course of the novel, Hurston tells of Janie’s journey from the traditional views of the grandmother who raised her to an independent woman making her own life rules. Janie is a very dynamic character, who lives a very turbulent life full of self-revelation. Hurston effectively uses symbols throughout her story to illustrate Janie’s self-development. A simple thing, like the way Janie wears her hair, is turned into an expression of her independence. Other symbols, such as playing checkers and wearing overalls, signify Janie’s entrance into male-dominated society. Hurston makes it clear that women do not need to imitate men in order to be independent simply that they deserve to choose for themselves what they can and cannot do. In the end, Janie makes the choice to live for herself rather than die for love, once again showing that she was not dependent upon others.
Janie points the way for the pioneers of the female frontier. She gives hope and courage to all who are fearful of not finding themselves. Even though many criticized her, Janie only pitied them because they were missing out on a life and love such as her own. This inspirational book shows the worth in the struggles and hardships that help each woman to discover who they are meant to be. It is worth the criticism and skepticism to search for the relationship that allows identity as an individual as well as a couple. All women deserve equal status with men in the society that they all live in. Hurston offers valuable life lessons in courage, independence, and love. All in all, Their Eyes Were Watching God is a work full of truth as well as a work of art to be enjoyed by all.
—Inspiring piece of women’s literature
