Ships and Shores: Gender Representation in Their Eyes Were Watching God

On a moon-lit shore in Florida stands a group of men, backs turned, watching the lonely silhouettes of their dreams standing on ships drifting further away. Beside them stands a woman. She walks forward, eyes not trained on the ships, but on the horizon, determined to reach for it. Determined to walk forward. In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, author Zora Neale Hurston opens with a unique analysis of gender roles—women acting on their dreams while men watch from the shore. In this novel, while figures like Logan Killicks and Joe Starks embody traditional masculine characteristics of control and dominance, by the novel’s end, Janie—the female protagonist—resists oppression and transforms into a figure who not only dreams but also acts on her desires, allowing Hurston’s definitions of gender to come into fruition. Through Janie’s emotional and spiritual journey, Hurston is able to critique social expectations and redefines feminine power as one rooted in self realization. 

To begin, Hurston’s opening metaphor immediately sets up a distinct gender framework within the novel that significantly differs from stereotypes. She writes “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board…women forget all those things they don’t want to remember and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth” (1). Here, there is a clear illustration of women as being determined dreamers who live through their experiences while men remain stuck in distant and everlasting longing. By contrasting women’s active pursuit of dreams with men who passively watch from a distance, Hurston effectively introduces a unique interpretation of gender roles to her readers. However, throughout the early part of the novel, Hurston represents more traditional male characters exemplifying qualities of dominance and control through two of Janie’s male counterparts: Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. Despite being enamored by Janie during the first weeks of their relationship, Logan Killicks quickly begins to treat Janie as a tool for work, saying things like “You ain’t got no particular place. It’s wherever Ah need yuh. Git uh move on yuh, and dat quick” (31). His belief that Janie exists only to serve him clearly demonstrates how Logan takes away Janie’s voice and freedom. Similarly, Janie’s second husband Joe Starks also treats Janie simply as if she were a possession with the purpose of elevating his status.  Because of this perspective, Joe begins to control the way Janie acts, speaks, and dresses. When describing Janie’s life in the store, Hurston states “her hair was not going to show in the store…she was there in the store for him to look at, not those others” (55), evidently illustrating how Joe treats Janie like an object that only belongs to him by making her believe the purpose of her existence was to be seen by him. More importantly, the hiding of her hair—a symbol of Janie’s identity and femininity—displays how Janie’s marriage to Joe causes her to lose the most important parts of herself, limiting her freedom and voice. Joe also silences Janie verbally, saying things such as  “You getting too moufy, Janie,” (75) and “somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none theirselves” (71) . The last quote especially emphasizes how Joe dehumanizes Janie and does not believe that she could ever have any autonomy. By creating characters like Logan and Joe, Hurston successfully illustrates the toxicity of traditional gender stereotypes. More importantly, she is able to criticize the kind of masculinity that refuses to grow, staying stagnant on the shore while women like Janie desire to reach what lies beyond it. 

However, while Janie’s earlier marriages confine her, Hurston’s development of Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake illustrates how their marriage creates a space for Janie to explore love and independence, allowing her to move toward her realization of self worth. After Joe dies, Janie “tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair. (87). Hurston states that “the weight, the length, the glory was there” (87). Hurston’s use of Janie’s hair as a metaphor for femininity and freedom allows her to illustrate Janie’s liberation from her marriages in this moment as her hair is no longer confined. By stating that “the glory was there”, Hurston emphasizes that although Janie was confined throughout her marriage, her identity was always there. It may have been chased into hiding by her husbands, but it was always there. This displays Hurston’s belief that Janie’s sense of self never left her, even in her darkest moments. Moving on, Janie makes an extremely important decision to essentially leave behind her wealth and reputation in Eatonville to be with Tea Cake, taking a step away from materialism as well as her past with Joe while simultaneously taking a step toward freedom. Tea Cake, unlike Logan and Joe, treats Janie as an equal. He asks her to play chess with him, illustrating that he is not intimidated by her intelligence or by her true self. Hurston writes, “he set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing. Somebody wanted her to play” (96). This moment demonstrates Janie slowly finding herself again through her relationship with Tea Cake as well as his treatment of her as a companion—not a possession. Further displaying her happiness, Janie states “he done taught me de maiden language all over” (115), conveying that Tea Cake showed Janie what love really looks like, allowing her to rediscover the world but also find value in herself and recognize that she deserves to be loved in this way. Through this relationship, Hurston shows that love is not a weapon, but rather a guide that helps someone move forward, toward the horizon.

Ultimately, through Janie’s growth and self-ownership, Hurston redefines feminine power and love not as something that is perfect or used to control others, but rather something rooted in self-realization and the ability to own one’s story. At the end of the novel after Tea Cake’s death, Janie returns to Eatonville not in shame, but in peace. She is no longer concerned with other people’s judgements: “Ah don’t mean to bother wid tellin ‘em nothin’, Phoeby. Taint worth de trouble” (5). This shows how Janie does not care about what others say because she knows what she has experienced and knows that no one can take these moments away from her. She knows that she has lived, loved, and learned, and that is enough for her. Hurston emphasizes this in the final scene of the novel where Janie “called in her soul to come and see” (193), showing how Janie was proud of everything she had experienced. She wanted her soul—full and bright—to see the woman she had become. The horizon, which symbolized possibility and dreams in the beginning of the novel, now becomes something that she owns as she pulls in her horizon like a great fish net, spreading it out and over the waters. This clearly shows how Janie has accomplished her dreams and is ready to embrace everything in her life now, confidently harnessing her ambitions and the whole horizon along with them. Finally, Hurston sends her ultimate message through Janie’s realization as she tells Phoeby, “They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin fuh theyselves” (192). Through Janie’s journey, Hurston’s readers learn her ultimate lesson: you must live for yourself and with that experience will come your truth. 

In conclusion, in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston challenges traditional ideas of gender through the use of a metaphor comparing men watching their dreams sail away to women who drive forward to grasp their opportunities. While Janie’s first two husbands exemplify traditional qualities of male dominance, Hurston manifests her gender definitions into a reality for Janie as Janie breaks free and begins to explore who she really is through the growth of her relationship with Tea Cake. By the end of the novel, Janie pulls in her own horizon of opportunity—not one that was given to her by a man, but one she has found truly on her own. Through Janie’s journey, Hurston shows that real feminine power lies in experience and the ability to live one’s life to the fullest. 

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. J. B. Lippincott, 18 Sept. 1937.