Their Eyes Were Watching God

Content Warning: This section of the novel describes domestic abuse.

Janie and Joe arrived in Eatonville, disappointed to discover the town not at all developed. Joe immediately purchased additional land, built a store, bought the town’s first streetlamp, and pushed the townspeople to establish a government—and to elect him mayor.

Joe treated Janie like another of his many possessions; he used this display of wealth to enforce his superiority over the other townspeople. Although several men in the town attempted to flirt with her, Janie remained closemouthed and unfriendly. The women of the town envied Janie, in part because she followed Joe’s instructions to present herself as above them by dressing formally.

As time went on, the townspeople learned that Joe, although arrogant and accustomed to having his way, was also willing to work hard to make his ambitions a reality. They wondered how Janie bore her marriage to a man who regularly berated her in front of customers when she made mistakes in the store. Janie began to feel fearful and lonely, realizing that Joe expected her to find complete self-fulfillment in his successes, just as he did. She grew weary of his constant activity.