Melissa Reichard American Literature II Dr. Decker 10 November 2012 Marriage: The Females Ultimate Desire?

In her book titled, Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation, author Nancy F. Scott discusses the system and structure of marriage for men and women. She states, The whole system of attribution and meaning that we call gender relies on and to a great extent derives from the structuring provided by marriage. Turning men and women into husbands and wives, marriage has designated the ways both sexes act in the world and the reciprocal relation between them (Scott 3). Subjected to its expectations, men and women have had to strip themselves of their former identity and live according to its demanding gender roles. The concept of marriage is examined in two texts, The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. In both texts, the protagonists view marriage as a ritual of love; there is no division of spheres between the man and the woman and when they are united, they are united as one. However, both characters are trapped within societys expectations of what marriage should be: financial and social security. Within each text, readers are exposed to the affects marriage has on each female protagonist and the journey they travel in order to uncover their individuality and answer their own questions of what marriage should be and what they believe their roles are as the female in marriage. Kate Chopins The Awakening uses the theme of marriage to describe the roles and desires of women more effectively than Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Reichard 2 In Kate Chopins The Awakening, the depiction of marriage and womens roles run parallel to the concept of Republican Motherhood. The notion of Republican Motherhood emerged in the United States during the American Revolution, encouraging women to stay within their domestic sphere and allow men to deal with politics, education, and the course of civic humanism. According to journalist Rosemarie Zagarris article published in the American Quarterly, the Republican Mothers life was dedicated to the civic virtue (192). In her role as a wife, she was subjected to maintain the social status alongside her husband, portraying propriety as she socialized and tended to the aristocratic lifestyle. She was also expected to keep up the social connections while her husband was away. In addition, the Republican Mother was also restricted from embracing the sexual being. Sex for a Republican Mother was a duty that she owed to her husband and society; a tool strictly for mans pleasure and reproduction. These women were also forced to remain within their domestic sphere. An uneducated wife and mothers priority was the home, decorating it with expensive and elaborate furnishings, hosting lavish parties for fellow aristocrats, and overseeing the servants duties. She was also expected to love and educate her children morally, spiritually, and academically. In terms of motherhood, the Republican Mother is the ultimate provider and caretaker for her children; however, it is clear that including the responsibility to be the sole mother-woman to her children, Edna Pontellier failed to fulfill most of the roles Republican Motherhood called her to be. Edna Pontellier not only fails to meet the expectations of Republican Motherhood, but she also outwardly rejects them and her role as a woman in marriage. Having posed as the Republican Father, Lonce was considered the ideal man in the 19th century; however, through her image of Lonce and Ednas marriage, Chopin illustrates that marrying out of financial security has the potential to serve as a barrier between the couple. For example, in a scene

Reichard 3 between Edna and her father, her father tries to say that they would be more united if Lonce was home more often during the night; however, Edna responds, Oh! Dear no! said Edna, with a blank look in her eyes. What should I do if he stayed home? We wouldnt have anything to say to each other (Chopin 91). Because there was no foundation of love and/or relationship between Edna and Lonce, they live in separate spheres in which they cannot understand the language and inward desires of the other. To draw out the differences of their marriage even more, Chopin contrasts their marriage with that of the Ratignolles marriage to one another; Ednas husband spoke English with no accent whatever. The Ratignolles understood each other perfectly. If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union (Chopin 78). Ednas marriage to Lonce also exposed her to the demands of the aristocratic lifestyle; however, as Edna begins to unravel who she really is within, she too rejects her husbands lifestyle by failing to observe les convenances (Chopin 73). Upon realizing her discomfort in the upper class, Edna decides to move into a pigeon house, which ultimately separates herself from her husband. The pigeon house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home, while she herself invested it with a charm which reflected like a warm glow. There was with her a feeling of having descended the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual (Chopin 117). Ednas decision to move out of her husbands house completely and explicitly defy his aristocratic lifestyle, proves that it is possible for the woman to disconnect herself from the expectations of marriage and re-identify herself as a new individual. Edna also protests her roles in marriage through her neglect and rejection of the motherwoman. Chopin states, Edna was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way . . . Their

Reichard 4 absence was sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her (Chopin 40). Through this description of Ednas feelings toward her children, Chopin illustrates that Edna feels out of touch with motherhood and maternity. Whereas most women in marriages are bound to their children and expected to love and nurture them, Edna feels tied down by her sons in a way that is not fitting to her individuality. In In addition, Edna also discloses to Madam Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her children or for anyone . . . I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldnt give myself (Chopin 69). Ednas rejection of the mother-woman is a wildly interesting concept because one of the greatest joys of women in marriage is that of their children; however, Edna doesnt experience or share this joy. Her disconnection to her children could possibly be tied to her lack of emotional and physical connection to her husband or it could just her awakening into individualism. Ednas marriage to Lonce fastened her in a position in which she knew she didnt belong. The path of Republican Motherhood was one in which she could not identify with. It subjected her to be the mother-woman, the social butterfly, the sexual tool, and the possession of someone other than herself. In Paula A. Treichlers criticism essay, Reader-Response Criticism, she states the self asserts itself and in doing so undoes itself. Suicide is perhaps the most profoundly ambivalent of all human acts, and one which here confirms the unresolvable ambiguities of Ednas own role in the novel . . . In determining never to belong to another than herself, and to give up the unessential, she transcends the mythologies offered to her, and to us, and this is treated as a triumph, not a failure (370). Ednas decision to commit suicide in the end awakens her sense of choice and the capability she has when she discovers that she truly

Reichard 5 belongs to herself and no one else; not society; not her children; and not her husband. Edna Pontellier illustrates that although a woman in marriage is bound to a particular dogma, she can step outside the realm of those expectations and follow her own path and awaken into the beauty of the self. In Zora Neal Hurstons, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston takes a similar, but also different spin on marriage, demonstrating that marriage is not universaleveryone has their own expectations of what it should be. Through Janies three marriages, she not only learns the variety of roles she is called to play, but she also discovers the roles she wants to play. In Missy Dehn Kubitscheks article, Tuh de Horizon and Back: The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God, she quotes Darwin Turners perspective on Janies view of marriage: All Janie wants is to love, to be loved, and to share the life of her man. But, like the witch in the Wife of Baths tale, she first must find a man wise enough to let her be whatever kind of woman she wants to be (109). Similarly to Edna, Janie sets out on a journey to discover the details of her sex and come to terms with the roles she desires to play and the woman she yearns to be. Coming from a lower-class African American family, Janie is plunged into a marriage in which she is told will grow to be the ideal marriage. According to Nanny, financial security is the central idea of a working marriage; however, Janie dreams of more in a marriage. Contrasting Ednas perspective on marriage, Janie fantasizes about marriage and being a wife whom is loved and adored by her husband. From a young age, Janie envisions a pear tree as a metaphor for marriage: She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! (Hurston 11). Janie uses words such as creaming, frothing with delight in order

Reichard 6 to describe this image of a marriage that is supposedly going to overflow with beauty and happiness. This is not to say that Edna didnt want this in her marriage; however, the difference between Janie and Edna is that Janie dreams of being a wife, whereas Edna dreams of escaping her role as a wife. In Janies first marriage to Logan Killicks, the basis for their unification is forced by her Nanny in order to secure Janie financial stability. Nanny feared that once she passed on, Janie would be taken advantage of by both white and black men the way she and Janies mother were; Ah dont want yo feathers always crumpled up by folks throwin up things in yo face. And Ah cant die easy thinkin maybe de menfolks white or black is makin a spit cup outa you (Hurston 20). Young and nave, Janie is persuaded to believe that protection in marriage is primary and love and affection secondary. As her innocent mind prepares to be married, Janie wonders whether or not marriage ends the cosmic loneliness of the unmated and whether or not it compels love like the sun the day (Hurston 21). Through Janies mental questions, Hurston illustrates that Janie molds the concept of marriage into a beautiful union that ends loneliness and brings light into an individuals darkness. Having witnessed others marriages around her, Janie believes that she would eventually come to love Logan because thats what marriage meant (Hurston 21). However, as her marriage to Logan unfolds, Janie finds that there is no love coming between her and Logan and even though they were married, that did not mean they would be in love (Hurston 25). Although Logan does his male duty in providing for he and Janie, there are other problems that arise in their marriage together. For example, after six months, Logan begins to harbor bitterness towards Janie because of her heritage, personality, and experience. Logan tells Janie, Mah first wife never bother me bout choppin no wood nohow. Shed grab dat ax and

Reichard 7 sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten (Hurston 26). Not only does he insult Janie by comparing her to his first wife, but he also portrays his contempt toward the way Janie has been treated by her Nanny, mother, and Logan himself. In response, Janie uses her role and responsibility as the woman in marriage as a rebuttal to Logans remark; If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git dinner (Hurston 26). Because Janie had witnessed the division of male and female spheres as she grew up, it is natural for it to be all she knows how to do. Believing it is her place in the kitchen, Janie denies Logan of assistance in chores outside the home. When Logan requests Janies help to move a pile of manure before the sun gets hot, Janie denies him while she continues to stir her cornmeal dough. As his patience for his wife finally snaps, Logan marches toward the kitchen and threatens to kill Janie because of her lack of help and interest in chores outside the kitchen. Logan declares, You aint got no particular place. Its wherever Ah need yuh (Hurston 31). Through his attempts in uniting the spheres, Logan creates ambiguity in Janies role as a wife. As Janie stands in her kitchen and ponders on Logans speech, she realizes that there is something else waiting for her outside of her and Logans marriage and she was determined to seek it. In her second marriage to Joe Starks, Janie experiences a love and adventure different from that of her marriage to Logan. Upon moving into Green Cove Springs, Janie and Joe establish themselves as prosperous people in town. As mayor and businessman of their small store, Joe resembles Lonce in that he has the responsibility of tending to the social life. Although he is not quite aristocratic in comparison to a white man at the time, he is still viewed as an aristocrat among his fellow African Americans. Similarly to the way in which Edna was restricted to the domestic sphere, Janie is also restricted to this sphere by Joe. In their relationship together, Janie is prohibited from joining in on friendly conversation with the men,

Reichard 8 playing checkers, and engaging in social events. Ironically enough, Janie left her marriage with Logan because she not only desired love and adventure, but in the way she tossed off her apron before eloping with Joe, she metaphorically tossed off the responsibilities of a housewife (Hurston 32). With Joe, it is easy to believe that she thought she would find liberation to be the woman she wanted to be with him. Her love for him was something out of impulse; passionate desire to escape into something else and experiment with her dream of marriage in someone else; however, much to her surprise, she was restricted even more. Through another shocking disappointment, Janie found Joe to be rather unkind and abusive to her; She wasnt petal-open anymore with him . . . She found that out one day when he slapped her face in the kitchen . . . . So when the bread didnt rise, and the fish wasnt quite done at the bone, and the rice was scorched, he slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears (Hurston 72). As miserable as she was in the end with Joe, Janie continued to play the role she was expected to fulfill in their marriage. Even after his death, Janie remained loyal to her husband by tending to the store and keeping touch with his friends. When Tea Cake steps into Janies life after Jodys death, she reaches her last attempt to harmonize her daily life in marriage with the image of the pear tree. Tea Cake and Janie shared a relationship different from that of her previous marriages because Tea Cake encouraged Janie to discover herself and set her inner desires free. Through Tea Cake, Janie was able to freely express herself and choose when she wanted to resume her role in the domestic sphere and when she wanted to join Tea Cake in the fields for the day. Tea Cake differentiates himself from Janies previous husbands by giving Janie free-will to pick her daily roles and by viewing Janie as his equal in the social sphere. However, it can also be argued that through his physical abuse of Janie out of pure suspicion of infidelity, Tea Cake is no different than Jody and Logan.

Reichard 9 Although he allowed Janie the freedom of choice, journalist Jennifer Jordan argues that Janies marriage to Tea Cake is paradoxically interpreted by various critics either as a continuation of male domination that is overcome through Janies killing of Tea Cake or as a marriage of true and equal minds in which Janie arrives at self-expression and self-esteem (Feminist Fantasies: Zora Neal Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God 109). Whether readers agree or disagree with this notion, it is clear that through triumph and trials, Janie felt happiness and relief as she merely dreamt of her late husband. Janie and Edna are both female characters that embark on a journey in hopes of finding themselves through the ritual of marriage. Kate Chopin and Zora Neale Hurston artistically and deliberately use the theme of marriage to sew together the roles of women throughout history. Anchored down by separate spheres, traditions, and oppressions, each woman strives to overcome the boundaries placed upon them and release themselves in the liberty of individualism. Through her decision to kill herself, Edna proclaims that she does not belong to herself and neither to societys nor her husbands oppressive roles, but rather she is the controller of herself. In Janies marriages, she discovers that her image of the pear tree is a sacred image that reality cannot fulfill; however, through her journey, she learned what it meant to stand on her own and verbalize who she was on the inside. Although, I see Ednas journey far more deliberate and defiant in comparison to Janies, Chopin and Hurston both elegantly defy the social constructs of marriage. As each woman scribes their story, they unearth what it means to be a woman in society and the beauty women have if only society would allow them to: within or outside marriage.

Reichard 10 Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Ed. Nancy A. Walker. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2000. Print. Cott, F. Nancy. Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, 2002. Web. Hurston, Neal Zora. Their Eyes Were Watching God. HarperCollins; New York: NY, 2006. Print. Jordan, Jennifer. Feminist Fantasies: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring, 1988), pp. 105-117. University of Tulsa. Web. Kubitschek, Dehn Missy. "Tuh De Horizon and Back": The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Black American Literature Forum, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Autumn, 1983), pp. 109-115. St. Louis University. Web. Treichler, A. Paula. Reader-Response Criticism The Awakening. Ed. Nancy A. Walker. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2000. Print. Zagarri, Rosemarie. Morals, Manners, and the Republican Mother. American Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Jun., 1992), pp. 192-215. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web