The mistreatment of women in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

In "Their Eyes Were Watching God", women are portayred as being mistreated badly. There are several occurences of domestic abuse toward women in the novel and assumptions about the gender as well. Women are not treated as equals in the novel. Perhaps it reflects the times the book was written but getting beat by your husband seemed to be a norm for women ofthe time. It appeared to be socially accepted.

There was no opposition by Janie when Tea Cake beats her for no reason. She does not seem to acknowledge it really and still considers him a good man. In comparrison to the other men Janie was with, Tea Cake is a good man, which tells us something of how women were treated. They were expected to submit to the authority of their husbands and not question them. When Janie was with the mayor of the black town, she was oblidged to work for him and was expected to be his wife and nothing more. Not a confidant or business partner but instead a mere worker and a woman.

On top of being beaten, Janie had no independence. Although she had money, she did not seem to stand on her own. Her dependence upon her husbands is evident throughout the entire novel. Her husbands plan her daily activities and if they move, she moves along with them without any resistance. Also, when Tea Cak takes her money, it is alright because he needed it to gamble. She is not expected to argue against it or question his motives.

In this novel, Janie is never mentioned without a man by her side. She drifts from marriage to marriage like a orphane who drifts from home to home. Its as if she has no choice. It is suggested that in this time in this society, women were suppose to be married. If they weren't, then rumors spread and she would then be ridiculed and questioned.

Owmen had to remain loyal to their husbands as Janie does to all of her hers. Divorce was not allowed so janie wasn't free until they died. She probably would have remained with each man had death not overtook them. She was incapable of getting out of the marriages. She had to do as women do. She was also not expected to be tough. She was expected to be sumissive. Tea CAke didn't want her to work with him in the fields but she defiantly does. In this novel, women don't seem to ahve a mind of their own. They are almost always mentioned in accordance with their husbands and never given distinct qualities. The descriptions for the men are more detailed and there is more of an emphasis on Janie's relationships than on Janie, as a person. This shows the nature of the novel. Women were represented very much in the same way in which they were most likely treated in their communities: as property to be sold and nothing more than that. One dimensional at best.