Masculinity in Their Eyes Were Watching God Research Paper Example

Masculinity in Their Eyes Were Watching God Research Paper Example Masculinity in Their Eyes Were Watching God Paper Masculinity in Their Eyes Were Watching God Paper Essay Topic: Their Eyes Were Watching God Jeanie changed from paying her mutual respect to complaining her as an irresponsible woman who cant do the chores properly. Then I will summarize the comments on Joeys character. Joeys social status is a middle class. Most middle classes spend a lot of time on their profession. However, ones Job is not his whole life. It is a trap that makes people think that work and salary mechanism is priority above all things. Somehow when people fall into this trap, they adjust their temperament and character to suit the environment. Joeys overall character seems to be absorbed Into he order of hills former workplace. He Is a person who finds his existential worth through working under a presumed order. This can be seen through his role in Detonative. The novels introduction of Joe starts with him as a stranger walking down the road. He was a citified, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle. (27) He talked friendly to Jeanie and told Jeanie that he had been working for white folks a long time yet saved a lot of money. Joeys ideological investment, unlike Lagans, has nothing to do with a work ethic or turning Jeanie Into a mule; Instead, Joeys stresses intro_(McGowan 113) Jeanie Is attracted by promising fact that Joe would not, like Logan, treat her as labor source. By this she was satisfied enough. The novel then quickly focuses on Joeys achievements as mayor: the establishment of the grocery store, the mail service, the electric lamp and the purchase of Mats mule. Joeys progressive intentions have the quality of invest and speculation. His real aim is to have a big voice. (46) The grocery store and the mall service had earned the economic respect of the townsfolk The parlor was never empty of amusement and hatter. The electric lamp had made him a figure of enlightenment. The purchase of Mats mule gave him a reputation of liberator of labor. These events had made Joe an outstanding figure among the black township. He had earned his big voice. But along came another aspect of his identity: He mad e himself a God by his sole purpose. The townspeople sought to watch him in admiring eyes, hence the title their eyes were watching God. Joe plays God as though nothing can stand In his way, but It has drawbacks. This notion of Identity, or this feeling of empowerment dad him think that it is necessary to stay progressive so long as people continue to believe him as a God. He has to be a fool himself to believe this, but the momentum had kicked off, and without an equalizer it is very hard to stop it. To this point, Joe has become an example of monopoly capitalism. (McGowan 112) By now his sense of superiority had bypassed his sentimentality on the folks around him. He is actually In the risk of being an Ignorant of his townsfolk, even with his beloved Jeanie. Even In old age, en still sees enamels as an autocrat AT Jeanie. Joe cant change Nils animalcules sense and clings on his past achievements. Joeys love towards Jeanie never had grown beyond a fancy doll. Although Jeanie had warned him about his work being a strain(46) on their relationship, he still insists on his prospects on Jeanie as first lady. He trades these good fortunes for Genies loyalty. It was clear for Jeanie, being sensitive about the future, that she will have to take up her burden in Joeys world: a feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely. (46) In the end, the relationship of Joe and Jeanie sees the impotency of fighting over trivial matters. This takes on with nailing the bill (70), Genies old appearance (77) and finally, cutting the tobacco. (78) In the last scene, Joe sees that Jeanie is getting old, and her sexual appeal is not that of her younger ages. There was still a hint of sex when Joe was Joking about her age. Joe could be thinking about having sex with her, but due to his heavy stress on work and progress, he does not know how to do so. To summarize, from his glamorous appearance, Joeys successful elopement with Jeanie roves that Joeys middle class values offer him higher level of social attractiveness than farmers like Logan. Joeys entrance into power was portrayed as a promoter of material livelihood, an enlightenment figure and a mule liberator. From the series of successful acts Joe sees himself as a God that has his own programs to impose on the townsfolk. He, a strong willed and focused person, took hold of power until his death. His marriage was not an ideal one. He likes a stable marriage where the role of his spouse is fixed, never changing.