Confinement is an obstacle for many women throughout history. Having to conform to society’s standards and tuck your culture away in order to live a fulfilling life is difficult. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford pushes the limits in her community in order to be herself and have pride in who she is without getting hurt because of it. Janie’s hair is a representation of her freedom and woman hood, and throughout the novel it becomes something she can be proud of.
Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, freedom is desired by many women including Janie. For the duration of the novel, Janie is forced to keep her hair restricted and out of sight. Her long black hair represented her woman hood and freedom. As she has to continually wrap it in a rag, Janie’s freedom is taken away. When it was let down, she felt a sense of relief. “She tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there.” Janie used her hair to embrace her beauty and woman hood as it was long and luxurious. The rags her husband Jody made her wear represented him taking her freedom away and controlling her life as he did in other circumstances including who she talked to and when she could use her voice. “This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was not going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was.” Janie used her hair to flaunt her sexuality and beauty, and the consequence of this was Jody becoming jealous of other men looking at her and admiring her beauty themselves. After seeing others worship it, he forced her to put it out of sight, confining her delicacy to make himself feel more powerful. Although it is only her hair shown being controlled, Hurston wanted to expose the struggles of all black women at the time who couldn’t express themselves how they wanted to.
As Janie grows and evolves, her hair does too. Janie experiences multiple marriages and throughout these marriages she gains more freedom. She can experience life more each time and understand what marriage and love really is. Jody forced her to keep her hair tucked away never to be seen, after his death it was relief that she could finally expose her true beauty and self. “Before she slept that might she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house the next morning with her hair in one, thick braid swinging below her waist.” She was able to release her hair and display her beautiful locks of black hair. Into her next marriage with Tea Cake, he embraced her hair with her, rather than keeping it hidden. When asked why he would have any interest in combing her hair he stated “It’s mine too. Ah ain’t been sleepin’ so good for more’n uh week cause Ah been wishin’ so bad tuh git mah hands in yo’ hair. It’s so pretty. It feels jus’ lak underneath uh dove’s wing next to mah face.” Tea Cake let Janie have her freedom and beauty, including her hair.
Not only does Janie’s hair represent her freedom and woman hood, but it connects to the novel and its meaning as a whole. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a coming of age novel based in her growing and becoming a woman, and her being able to break through community standards becoming defiant completes it. At this point in history, black women had little rights and little chance at a fulfilling life due to racism and social standards of them not being good enough or sophisticated enough. Janie broke through these standards while growing as a woman. Her hair represented her freedom, and through the plot she slowly gained more.
As the novel came to an end, Janie was able to feel relief and understand her true potential as a black woman. She discovered that it is, in fact, possible to not fall under the control of others, including men. She was able to embrace her hair and feel free. Janie’s freedom and woman hood was secured as she no longer had to be ashamed of it and hide it.
