Introduction
Having warranted the title of undeniably classical literature, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston might seem to have little in common. However, further introspection into the novels will reveal that both address similar societal issues of the time. An important theme in both novels is the role of women in society.
In “The Great Gatsby,” the female characters are portrayed as objects of desire and are often dismissed or marginalized by the male characters. In contrast, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” centers on Janie’s journey to assert her independence and find her voice in a male-dominated world. Both novels highlight the challenges and limitations that women face in these societies.
Thesis Statement
The characters in the novels “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald were denied the liberty of choice and free will; however, with courage and strength, some were able to overcome the limitations imposed on them.
Analysis
Disempowerment Within a Gendered Social System
“‘You oughta be glad, ’cause that makes uh big woman outa you.’ A feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely” (Hurston, 1937, p. 25).
The environment in which Janie is forced to struggle toward her success is undeniably unfair and grossly misbalanced in terms of power dynamics and resource distribution. The specified setting creates a sense of particular detachment from the rest of the world for the protagonist, making it apparent that her chances of succeeding are close to zero. While she starts her journey as a naïve and hopeful woman, she quickly realizes that her dreams are likely to remain unfulfilled unless she finds the courage to fight the system for the entirety of her life. The insistence that facing challenges and suffering builds character and makes her stronger understandably frightens Janie. Yet, the specified statement represents the world of unfairness and injustice in which she lives quite accurately (Kubitschek, 1983).
Therefore, Janie has to assume an active role in her process of self-actualization and the search for herself, which ultimately makes her immeasurably stronger. The described outcome is evident in the further development of Janie’s character arc. One could argue that her accepting the cruel and violent behavior of her husband could be seen as a sign of character weakness. However, the outlined stance on family violence, particularly violence against women as a vulnerable category, ultimately represents a reductive view of the issue, limiting one’s understanding of the sociocultural constraints and challenges that women have to overcome to voice the issues that they are facing. Therefore, the fact that Janie chooses to continue her struggle even when she loses her husband, with her value in the eyes of the sexist society immediately dropping, indicates that she develops significant strength and resilience, gaining the ability to overcome sociocultural challenges.
“In brief, this interpretation posits Janie Crawford as an internally static feminist hero seeking liberation from masculine oppression as a necessary prerequisite to self-actualization” (Miller, 2004, p. 75).
Love and Manipulation in Romantic Relationships
Another aspect of similarity between “The Great Gatsby” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” concerns the nature of relationships between the protagonists. The portrayal of love in the specified novels is significantly tarnished by the presence of evident manipulation in the relationships. Specifically, Joe manipulates Janie, forcing her to stay with him despite the emotional and physical violence that he exerts over her: “Janie loved the conversation, and sometimes she thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to indulge” (Hurston, 1937, p. 90).
Similarly, the relationships in the Buchannans family are affected by the presence of manipulation and violence on Tom’s part: “Making a short, deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald, 1925). Likewise, Daisy and Jay seek to manipulate each other despite their apparent yearning for a connection. Therefore, the nature of romantic relationships between the characters is quite similar across the novels.
Naivety and Infatuation as Markers of Youth and Vulnerability
Furthermore, the concept of infatuation as a means of conveying the character’s immaturity and naiveté is uniquely demonstrated in both novels. Hurston (1937) portrays Janie as a naïve and impressionable young woman who is immediately infatuated with Joe. The specified fascination with superficial traits that Joe demonstrates is highly indicative of the naïve and innocent nature of the protagonist.
“I hope she’ll be a fool, that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald, 1925).
In turn, in “The Great Gatsby,” the characters are significantly more jaded. Yet, Daisy becomes immediately infatuated with Tom, which could be seen as a naïve attempt at escaping into her past. Therefore, the novels share a certain aspect of their philosophy of love, relationships, and attraction. Most importantly, both novels portray the state of being in love as a means of defying the social system, while, in fact, it only further confirms them (Haarsma, 2018).
The specified dynamics in the relationships among the protagonists make it evident that both female characters in the novels struggle to survive in a world primarily dominated by males. However, while the narrative created by Hurston, namely, the portrayal of Janie’s life, is ultimately uplifting, the one illustrating Daisy’s struggle is much more desperate. As a result, Janie’s character is ultimately geared toward self-actualization, whereas Daisy’s character arc represents a much more desperate situation.
“Nick looks down upon Daisy because she betrays her family. He finally breaks up with Jordan, because of her dishonesty” (Bao-feng & Xue-yin, 2015, p. 876).
Resistance and Rebellion Against Societal Expectations
The issue of gender roles is also reflected in both “The Great Gatsby” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Moreover, both novels lead the reader to the conclusion that any act of defiance against the set system is an individual effort to subvert societal expectations. However, “The Great Gatsby” is significantly more somber in its attempt to address societal factors that contribute to the development of barriers to success and an overall satisfactory life for women. Namely, the novel encapsulates the terror of being trapped in a situation that has been prescribed to one without the opportunity to change it or make a conscious choice in a much more vivid and brutal way. Specifically, the quote above illustrates the sheer hopelessness of Daisy’s situation.
Unlike Janie, who actively pursues a happier and more fulfilling life by changing the course thereof, Daisy is landlocked in a hopeless marriage, cheating with Gatsby on her husband, being her only way of rebelling against the situation (Holquist, 1988). Though the societal constraints imposed on Daisy are significantly less harsh than those faced by Janie, who struggles with racism in addition to sexism, the presence of hopelessness is evident in her actions, the choices that she makes, and, ultimately, the outcomes that she must embrace.
Cross-Novel Character Parallels and Contrasts
Remarkably, the traits of characters in “The Great Gatsby” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” overlap in quite peculiar and unpredictable ways, with none of the protagonists in one novel having a clear and unique counterpart in the other one. For instance, apart from the obvious comparison to be drawn between Janie and Daisy, one will find impressive links between Janie and Gatsby, as well as Gatsby and Joe Starks (Hajjari et al., 2016).
The specified nuances, like the main characters, allow for an interesting analysis. At first glance, the similarities between Janie and Daisy are close to zero. Indeed, while the latter is immediately portrayed as jaded and desperate, Janie is initially depicted as filled with hope yet gradually becoming more desperate. The specified discrepancy indicates the differences in the environments in which the two characters live. Specifically, while Daisy has to grapple with the challenges of class issues, Janie has been forced to face the ugly nature of racism and sexism (Crabtree, 1985).
However, examining the characters further will show that they share a crucial common characteristic of being abandoned by the system as women, with sexism running rampant in the specified time slot in the U.S. Furthermore, the struggles that both characters face can be attributed to sexism permeating the racial and class-related issues within the U.S. community.
Intersectionality: Race, Class, and Gender
However, in addition to the specified parallel to be drawn, there is another character comparison to be made, which is significantly less obvious. Namely, Janie and Gatsby also appear to have certain characteristics in common. Unlike Gatsby, who prefers to roam his past and wallow in his misery, Janie seeks to fight, challenge, and embrace her opportunities; both represent a tragic failure of the social system. Namely, Janie is abandoned by society due to her race and prejudices permeating the U.S. community regarding African American people. In turn, Gatsby, while being significantly more privileged socially, also faces social betrayal as a former member of the lower class.
Conclusion
The characters in “The Great Gatsby” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” might seem to share very little in terms of their experiences, yet they share a core trait of having been denied their freedom. Furthermore, in both novels, the protagonists manage to seize power over their destinies, though in their own and seemingly dubious ways. The lack of agency and power expressly outlined in the core character arcs of the novel protagonists is glaring and evocative of sympathy, even though their backgrounds are incomparable.
“The Great Gatsby” tells a story of the class struggle in the U.S. setting, whereas “Their Eyes Were Watching God” addresses the issue of domestic abuse against African American women, yet both convey similar sentiments. Specifically, the novels portray the challenges that the protagonists experience as a direct product of their being denied the right to choose yet successfully overcoming their struggles. As a result, while being quite somber at times, both novels convincingly convey the specified idea.
References
Crabtree, C. (1985). The confluence of folklore, feminism, and black self-determination in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Southern Literary Journal, 54-66.
Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Project Gutenberg. Web.
Haarsma, R. E. C. (2018). The portrayal of the ‘new woman’ in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” (Bachelor’s thesis).
Hajjari, L., Aliakbari Harehdasht, H., & Ghasemi, P. (2016). The Legacy of Romanticism: The Pear Tree and Janie Crawford in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Journal of African American Studies, 20, 35-52.
Holquist, M. (1988). Stereotyping in Autobiography and Historiography: Colonialism in “The Great Gatsby.” Poetics Today, 9(2), 453-472.
Hurston, Z. N. (1937). Their Eyes Were Watching God. Amistad. Web.
Kubitschek, M. D. (1983, October). “Tuh De Horizon and Back”: The Female Quest in “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” In Black American Literature Forum (pp. 109-115). School of Education, Indiana State University.
Li, B. F., & Jia, X. Y. (2015). On the confrontation between masculinism and feminism in “The Great Gatsby.” Sino-US English Teaching, 12(11), 874-880.
Miller, S. E. (2004). Some Other Way to Try: From Defiance to Creative Submission in “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Southern Literary Journal, 37(1), 74-95.