In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, women are often portrayed as inferior to the men around them. At first, Janie tries to please her Nanny by marrying a man she does not love, but she quickly realizes that she needs tenderness and equality in a relationship.  In Hurston’s description of Joe’s funeral, she uses short declarative sentences, the juxtaposition of death and spring time, and words associated with pressing clothes, which all highlight Janie’s lack of passion for Joe. When contrasted with the description of Tea Cake’s funeral, these techniques enable us to further understand Janie as a character who has defied the stereotypical woman during this time period by not settling for stability, but rather having hope to do something more with her life. This is important because in a male dominated society, women do not always have the luxury to be so independent. 

We immediately see Janie’s lack of sorrow for Joe’s death through Hurston’s use of short, abrupt language in the passage recounting Joe’s funeral: “All things concerning death and burial were said and done. Finish. End. Nevermore. Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution. Eternity. Weeping and wailing outside” (88). The use of these brief sentences directly reflects Janie’s indifference towards Joe. Some of these short statements are not even full sentences. This technique depicts the funeral as merely a chore for Janie. She does not want to be there, but she knows she has to be there. Death is simply a routine, and it feels repetitive to her. The words “Finish. End. Nevermore” are all lacking in any true passion and desire, thus reiterating to us the idea that Joe’s death has no real effect on Janie (88).  These words are also all commonly used words when referring to death, giving us the impression that Joe’s death is no different to Janie than if a complete stranger were to die. The funeral is simply something she has to get through and be done with it. 

Hurston’s choice to use such abrupt sentences in this passage directly parallels with Janie’s dream to be independent from Joe and find her own way in life.  She is not able to feel grief for Joe’s death because she knows that she is now free to pursue independence and do what she desires. In doing this, she defies the social expectations set within her community. To be like this would be uncommon, as most women in the community would aim for stability. Most of the women would love to be in her shoes, but Janie is yearning for something more in life.  

The contradicting images of death and springtime in the passage concerning Joe’s funeral also suggests that Janie wants to start new because she was not happy living her life with Joe. Hurston writes, “Inside the expensive black folds were resurrection and life” (88). Although Joe has died, Janie is feeling new life all around her. Although she is at a funeral, this description is implying completely opposite feelings of rebirth and renewal. This springtime language shows that Janie does not mourn the stability she has just lost from being with Joe, but rather she sees a bright future ahead. This is also seen at the very end of the passage as it states, “She sent her face to Joe’s funeral and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world” (88). Placing the words “funeral” and “springtime” in the same sentence is unusual; however, this deliberate choice of words helps us to better understand Janie’s mindset during the funeral. She is not mourning at all, but instead she is blooming with an excitement for a new life.

Hurston’s use of words associated with fixing and pressing clothing also indicates to us Janie’s state of mind during Joe’s funeral.  Her use of the words “starched” and “ironed” to describe Janie’s face portrays an image of Janie materializing herself into something she is not (88). Hurston’s choice to use the word “starched” gives us a sense that Janie is feeling stuck or stiff in the position she is in.  When ironing, you are attempting to fix the creases and wrinkles in a shirt. This image parallels to Janie as she is preparing herself to look sad and grieving at the funeral even though she is not actually heartbroken. Her so called “wrinkles” are her aspirations to be independent, but she cannot show this at the funeral because she is supposed to be grieving. 

When directly comparing Janie’s clothing at Joe’s funeral to her clothing at Tea Cake’s funeral, we can see that Janie’s level of independence has changed dramatically. When Joe dies, she dresses up in “expensive black folds,” as she wants to portray herself as mourning even though she is not (88). In contrast, she simply wears overalls to Tea Cake’s funeral: “No expensive veils and robes for Janie this time. She went on in her overalls. She was too busy feeling grief to dress like grief” (189). Hurston’s choice to dress Janie like this confirms to us that by the end of the novel, Janie has fully defied the social expectancy to simply marry for stability. She is actually grieving for the death of Tea Cake because she truly loves him. 

Lastly, when all of these techniques are compared to the passage describing Tea Cake’s funeral, we are able to fully see Janie as a woman who has accomplished her own independence and freedom. Hurston writes, “Tea Cake was the son of the Evening Sun, and nothing was too good. The Undertaker did a handsome job and Tea Cake slept royally on his white silken couch among the roses she had bought…Then the band played, and Tea Cake rode like a Pharaoh to his tomb” (189). Hurston’s reference to the sun shows how Janie sees the goodness in her life despite the death of Tea Cake. She has finally found the love that she so desperately wants. Referencing a pharaoh also emphasizes how highly Janie thought of Tea Cake. She sees him as someone who treated her with respect, so likewise he deserves great respect. He is buried with white silks which also portrays him as royal and pure. This description is obviously quite different than the description of Joe’s funeral. Through this, we can see that Janie’s dreams have finally come true. She loves Tea Cake unconditionally and not solely for what he can provide for her. 

Through Hurston’s use of short, declarative sentences, the juxtaposition of death and spring time, and words associated with pressing clothes, we are able to understand Janie’s indifference towards Joe’s death. Janie’s true aspirations to do something more with her life begin to shine through when these techniques are compared to the techniques used in the passage concerning Tea Cake’s death. She marries for love, and we finally see Janie as a character who defies expectations set in her society by chasing her own dreams. Despite her Nanny and others in the community telling her to appreciate money and stability from men, she goes after what she wants: true love, equality, and companionship.
