PB-Theme+and+Their+Eyes+Were+Watching+God

Janie's gender is a constant restraint throughout the novel. She is looked down upon and told that she cannot do things simply bcause of her sex. For example, when Janie begins to argue with Joe about where he placed the bills she is right because he misplaced them, not her. However, Joe says,"When I sees one thing i understand ten. You see ten things and can't understand one." This shows how janie is discriminated against just for being a woman. Also, although she is the right person in this argument nobody will except her side of the argument and even she decides to just concede and say nothing else.

Another example of Janie's gender as a constraint in the novel would be when Joe was appointed mayor and everybody was saying that Janie should get up and speak for him. Instead of letting her speak Joe gets up and says,"Thankyou for your compliments, but my wife dont know nothing about no speech making. I married her for nothing like that. Shes a woman and her place is in the home." This is a perfect example of almost all societies views of woman. As they see it, their job is to stay at home and do house work.

A final example of a gender constraint for Janie would be when she was cutting tobacco for Steve Mixon. She did not cut it perfectly so Steve stated,"A woman and a knife - no kind of knife, dont belong together." To the people in the shop this was a good natured joke that they found funny but it was at the expense of woman. Janie could not do anything about it and nobody really defeneded her because it was natural to poke fun at woman.