
Race can hold a lot power over people and their actions. Although African Americans during this time were technically free, they were trapped in a society where whites still held power over them and were mistreated. By looking at Hurston’s use of the symbol of the mule, motif of race, and parallelism in the novel, we can see that African Americans experience racism from both ends, from white people and within their own race. This is significant because how African Americans react to race and let it affect them defines them as a person.  

First, we can see a motif of race throughout the novel. Being black but having white features, Janie is subject to a lot of criticism. Even though many people find her attractive due to her lighter skin and long, straight hair, she is often described as acting like she is better than others because of it. We see this in the first chapter when Lulu Moss says that Janie “sits high”, indicating that she acts superior to others (Hurston 3). This can be accredited to jealousy or just tensions between her own race. Being white during this time held a certain standard of class. Even though Janie is still considered black, she is often disliked by others because she has privileges that come along with having lighter skin. At the beginning of the novel, Janie recalls how she was teased by other children at school for living with white folks. The other children resented her for having “better’n whut de rest uh de colored chillum had” (Hurston 9), showing that Janie was not accepted because of her ties to a white family. Even with all of this, Janie remains unbothered and rarely lets race affect her and the way she lives her life. 

Another example of the race motif is when Janie meets Mrs. Turner on the muck. She is mixed just like Janie. However, she is prejudice towards her own race. Unlike Janie, Mrs. Turner does in fact think she is better than everyone else because of her lighter skin. She despises that Janie is married to a man with such dark skin and doesn’t let her forget it. She even goes as far as to say that “dey outa make us uh class tuh ourselves” because she doesn’t want to be associated with them (Hurston 166). This creates issues for Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship when he overhears the conversation. This is an important moment for Janie because she is forced to confront this issue and choose between Tea Cake and Mrs. Turner. However, the choice is not hard for Janie. She doesn’t care what others think and reassures Tea Cake that she would never leave him.

Another example of race throughout the story is the reoccurring symbol of the mule. We can see that the mule can be compared to African Americans and their struggle of dealing with racism. At the beginning of the novel, Janie’s grandma tells her that “de nigger women is de mule uh de world”, insinuating that black women are inferior human beings who are used and taken advantage of (Hurston 17). When Janie is married to Logan Killicks, we see the mule again. He is going off to Lake City to buy a second mule, describing it as “all gentled up” so that Janie can handle it and work too (Hurston 32). Janie feels like she is being treated like an animal by Logan, who is forcing her to do work like plowing the fields, chopping wood, and shoveling manure. Although this stereotype applies to Janie earlier on, she experiences growth as a character and no longer lets that mindset control her life after Joe dies. 

One of the most prominent examples, however, is the symbol of the mule in the town Eatonville. Matt Bonner owns a mule so abused that it looks like it’s been worked half to death. Jody buys the mule for five dollars only to set it free and let it rest in its final days, affirming that he “didn’t buy ‘im fuh no work” (Hurston 68). Although many people, and even Janie, view this as a noble act, it is simply just another way of Jody exerting power and control. The mule can be compared to African Americans, and Jody to the white man. Jody talks and act like a white man, due to his status and money, and sets free the mule like white men did to slaves. Everyone sympathizes with the mule, failing to realize they are very similar to it. They let Jody boss them around and tell them what to do. They succumb to his power and orders instead of doing what they want and what they think is right. They are basically still enslaved, except to a black man with a white man’s superiority complex. When the mule dies. The town holds a “mock” funeral for it. Jody goes on in his speech to speak of the “joys of mule-heaven” (Hurston 71). This only furthers the idea that African American lives were ridiculed and seen as less, even within their own race. 

On the other hand, the blame of prejudice within the black community cannot be completely bestowed upon Jody. Within the town, there is clear internalized racism. Many people say they want to see African Americans doing great things, but their jealousy gets the best of them. Hurston describes Hicks’ jealousy of Jody and his power by saying “he wasn’t ready to think of colored people in post offices yet” (45). This clearly shows that some African Americans are still stuck in the mindset that blacks are inferior. Obviously, this thinking does not affect Jody and what he wants to do. He goes forward to build up the town and become the mayor, not letting anyone stop him. 

Lastly, we can see a parallel throughout the novel between whites and blacks. White people and their racism play a pretty insignificant role, rarely being mentioned. Meanwhile, the entire story is mainly focused around black people. This creates a parallel because, in actuality, black people were experiencing high rates of discrimination during this time from white people. In the few instances where white people are mentioned, we see that they have notable power over the actions of African Americans. One occurrence of this is when Tea Cake goes to look for work after the hurricane. He ends up being forced to bury dead bodies by white men, easily submitting to their orders. This is significant because even in this small instance, we see that white people still hold power over blacks. After this, white people are never mentioned again, further showing the parallel between whites and blacks.

It is clear that African Americans experienced large amounts of racism during this time period. However, it may seem surprising that they experience racism within their own race. People like Janie, who are in the middle of the spectrum, experience it from both black and white people. We can see through symbols, motifs, and parallels that African Americans have to deal with a variety of racial tensions. However, it does not affect every person the same way. The main point here is that a person can either be weak or strong. They can let this small-minded thinking affect them negatively, never truly growing as their own, or they can live their lives the way they want, not letting something as trivial as race overcome them.
