in the book their eyes were watching god describe the power struggle janie has with the men she encounters?

Answer 1

I hadn't thought about it in terms of a power struggle, but I guess it could be viewed that way. Her experiences with men in general are such that they want to control her, dominate her, own her, determine what clothes she wears, how she wears her hair, where she goes, who she sees, who she talks to, what she does all day, they want to control her every minute of the day. She wasn't allowed by husband #1 or #2 to decide anything for herself. She was completely powerless. She had no voice. Couldn't really stand up for herself without fear of being beaten or punished or tormented in some way. When she was a child, she was bossed around by her grandmother. And by bossed around I mean raised. She went straight from that home where she was dependent and somewhat powerless as far as making one's own choices to marriage. She was defined by who her boss was. So she was drawing her identity from other people. They were defining her. They were the ones in charge. With the death of husband #2, for the first time in her life she is beginning to realize that she can think and act on her own. That she is her own person and she can make her own decisions. She's learning who she is and what she wants. So if there is a struggle it's a struggle just to be free from domination. She's not wanting to control or dominate or own the men in her life. She just wants the freedom and power to think for herself. She's not trying to boss the whole world. She just wants to be the boss of her own life.