Power is a very strong word in a relationship and marriages, any gender can have power over their significant other, it is showed when Janie was forced to get married and, she got married three times and it show’s which gender has the power in the relationship or marriages and who controlled it. As I read “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. I look at my mom and her relationships, but she has never been married and doesn’t plan on too. I look at her relationship and I see that once her significant other does something wrong and even make one mistake she will stop talking to them for a while, and she tell we too old to be playing games and she don’t have time for them acting little kids and I realized, my mama is a strong independent woman who works for the post office and she has her own catering business, I remember one day ask my mama is she going to get married? And she will reply back if “I will ever find that right one and they don’t be on bulls***” And as I look at Janie, She is a hard working person, buts she’s a lady, and a lady shouldn’t do a man’s work. Logan want Janie to do his work, And thinks that she’ll be able to do a man’s job. If Janie doesn’t do the work, then she will get hit or abused by Logan, When Janie doesn’t cook the food right or it is too nasty for Joe. He wanted hit her for the food being the way he wanted it cook. It show’s that the male are the most dominant gender, and has the power over the female gender and controlled the relationships and marriages, I think Janie shouldn’t be forced to do anything, she doesn’t want to, I think she should’ve did what my mama did and be her own independent woman
One Example for instance is Janie other husband’s Logan, where Logan wants Janie to help him with work he’s doing outside the house in the sun. Logan says it in this quote, “The book “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Janie! Logan called harshly, come help me move this manue pile before the sun get hot. You don’t take a bit of interests in this place, isn’t any use in fooling around in that kitchen all day. This connects because this show’s that Logan has control over Janie and in what she does. This show’s that Logan has power over her. Logan wants’ her to do a man’s or does physical work and not work in the kitchen all the time. Logan doesn’t get that she is a women, and women are not supposed to be doing that type of work, and women back in the day like her. They were mean to stay in the house, keep the house clean, cook the food, and take care of the kids. I think that was Logan was thinking and it shows that he was the dominant gender and has power over her because she helps him outside in the sun. It also show’s in this quote from the people in the community on the stoop. “A pretty doll-baby like you is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yourself and potatoes.” (22-23) this states that the people on the porch knows what Janie needs and stand up for her and tell Logan that she is a woman and she not supposed to that type of labor.
Another reason is from the book is that on “She wasn’t petal open anymore with him. She was twenty-four and seven years married when she knew. She found that out one day when he slapped her face in the kitchen. It happened over one day of those dinners that chasten all women sometimes. They plan and they fix and they do, and then some kitchen-dwelling fiend slips a scorch, soggy, tasteless mess into their pots and pans. Janie was a good cook and Joe had looked forward to his dinner as a refuge from others things.
So when the bread didn’t rise, and the fish wasn’t quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears and told her about her brains before he stalked on back to the store” (71-72). This is a good example because it show like if you’re with that type of husband and his wife doesn’t do nothing that her husband want or that is not right. It’s also shows that Janie didn’t have the courage to fight back against her husband Joe, and that Janie let her emotion get in the way and just sat there and cry. So that one way that show’s she need to step up to her husband and fight back. It‘s show’s that Joe has power over what Janie cook and how he wants Janie to cook it.