Something that struck me, as it must have struck most people were our first impressions of Janie as a character. For starters, Janie is the first female main character of any of the novels we've read in class so far. Besides that, she is seen in the first chapter taking harsh comments from the entirety of Eatonville in stride. If we thought she was strong then, she only appears stronger once we finish the book. Dealing with having to murder the love of your life as they try to do the same to you isn't something anyone can do. Along with surviving a hurricane and having to bury dead associates, you truly appreciate why Janie's overalls are dirty at the end of the book.
Earlier in class, we referred to Janie as a proto-feminist character. When regarding proto-feminism as the feminism before feminism, its not hard to see that this is true for Janie's character. Unlike most other female characters in literature at the time, Janie is the main focus of the entire book, with most if not all events being told more so through her perspective (its literally a frame narrative of Janie's experiences). Alongside this, she is shown being independent in and outside of her relationships, she doesn't match the clingy damsel-in-distress motif at all. Even though she spends the book looking for love, she doesn't let her marriages control or define her. Even at the end of the book, she retires to her room a wealthy, independent and content woman. She certainly is successful, but at the same time why is she considered proto-feminist?
I think that perhaps this is because she is a black character. Keep in mind that at the time the black and white feminist movements would be separate, with the white feminist movement being already much more established. Janie is only considered a proto-feminist character because she existed before the concept of strong black female leads, white feminism had already explored the strong female lead in books such as Mrs. Dalloway.
I think you make some good points. I would also say that she is photo-feminist in the sense that her life story is centered around her interactions with men. While the book portrays her struggling to accept those relationships in feminist ways, there is no way it passes the Bechdel test. While that's not always the trademark of a feminist narrative, I think there are more feminist narratives. Additionally, I think the anthropological approach that Hurston takes and her cultural relativist view of domestic violence inherently asks her not to take a stance on the way Janie is treated - and therefore, its feminism is limited in that way. However, in all the ways you've described, it is certainly a feminist book.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if we do consider TEWWG to be a feminist novel, it's mainly because of when it was written. As you point out this is an early example of a woman in literature making a name for herself, and certainly one of the earliest examples of a black woman. I feel like based on when it was written, Hurston could have been trying to find a way in which a female character could realistically develop independence. That very well limits how much Janie could develop, but it doesn't mean that it isn't possible. So based on the circumstances she's in, I'd say Janie definitely shows examples of development of independence.
ReplyDeleteI was grappling with a similar idea throughout the book and had to continuously remind myself of the time it was written (as Ethan mentioned above). One thing that really struck me is when she leaves Logan for Jody. And during that scene, she admits that she is going to run away regardless of if Jody is there or not. This might not be so shocking now, but given the time, this was extremely rare. Good post!
ReplyDeleteGood insight into proto-feminism here. I also think it's remarkable that Hurston introduces a strong character both black and female especially as you pointed out the movements would be separate. I read "Family Affairs" by Maya Angelou for my poetry reading and that has a sort of modern take on that divide. It's interesting that you say she's a proto-feminist because she's black. I don't know whether I agree with that (I don't think it should come from race), but I like your reasoning.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Janie's character is proto-feminist. Her actions throughout the novel prove that she is both strong and independent and support this to an extent. However, I don't think she's proto-feminist because of her race. When we talked about her portrayal of gender in class, we talked about how it was one of the earliest examples of any strong female lead, not just a black female lead. Instead the "proto" comes from the fact that a lot of what she does still revolves around men, and her stance on issues like domestic abuse. The timing of the novel's writing limits the feminism more than the race in my opinion. Cool Post!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say that she is a proto-feminist character. A lot of her beliefs and actions are definitely ahead of her time and she doesn't fit in at all with the other female characters in the novel. However, I wouldn't say its a feminist novel, at least not in the modern sense since her entire life revolves around the men in her life (a lot of that was probably just because of the time thought).
ReplyDeleteJanie's beliefs and actions definitely makes her act like a proto-feminist. Even when her life is all about men she still makes the story about herself.
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