Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston And The...

In order for an individual to effectively rebel against an established society, he or she must maintain some degree of power. If leaders or majority groups intend to revolt against an aspect of society, they simply speak or act against their issue. A member of marginalized group does not have the liberty of rebelling so directly, as he or she would be immediately isolated. In addition, taking a stand through an unappreciated aspect of one’s status in society would be futile. Therefore, an individual must find his or her value to society and utilize it as their method for rebellion. This is exemplified in both Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, as women rebel against society without using their voices. The main characters, Janie and Hester, defy gender roles through external appearances, maintaining silence, and accepting sexuality. Both Hawthorne and Hurston reveal society’s value of women’s external persona through female characters’ nonverbal rebellion. Both Janie and Hester use physical transformations to escape from the constraints of their roles in society. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie changes her clothes in a rebellion against the expectation of women to become housewives. When she runs away from her first husband, Logan, Janie notices â€Å"the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road and walked on† (Hurston ). Janie’s apron symbolizes not only herShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter And Their Eyes Were Watching God1654 Words   |  7 Pagesexist in this era, however they were widely popular in past centuries and were considered to be parallel to that of the word of religion. Although The Scarlet Letter and Their Eyes Were Watching God take place in distinct eras, both introduce female protagonists who defy the gender stigma while carrying the burden of judgment from society on their backs. In 16th century Puritan society, Hester Prynne commits an agonizing crime that forever scars her name in the letter A, for her wrongdoings: adulteryRead MoreGender Roles In The Scarlet Letter1665 Words   |  7 Pagesexist in this era, however they were widely popular in past centuries and were considered to be parallel to that of the word of religion. Although The Scarlet Letter and Their Eyes Were Watching God take place in distinct eras, both introduce female protagonists who defy the gender stigma while carrying the burden of judgment from society on their backs. In 16th century Puritan society, Hester Prynne commits an agonizing crime that forever scars her name in the letter A, for her wrongdoings: adulteryRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 Pagesbetween Native Americans (or American Indians) and European explorers and settlers who had both religious and territorial aspirations - Native American oral literature / oral tradition - European explorers’ letters, diaries, reports, etc., such as Christopher Columbus’s letters about his voyage to the â€Å"New world†. - Anglo (New England) settlers’ books, sermons, journals, narratives, and poetry Native American / American Indian oral literature / oral tradition creation storiesï ¼Ë†Ã¨ µ ·Ã¦ º Ã§ ¥Å¾Ã¨ ¯ Ã¯ ¼â€°