Hair Symbolism in Hurston’s Novel

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston explores the life and trials of Janie Crawford, the novel's protagonist, to illustrate the resilience and transformative power of African American women. These women have the remarkable ability to convert sources of oppression, such as gender, education, race, and poverty, into avenues of strength and empowerment. At the outset of the narrative, Janie is a young woman forced to submit to the whims and demands of those around her. However, as the story progresses, she evolves into a confident and self-assured woman who unapologetically takes control of her circumstances.

This transformation is notably represented in her evolving stylistic choices and portrayal of her body, particularly through the symbolism of her hair.

Triple Oppression

The novel provides insight into the essence and breadth of the triple oppression theory. This theory posits a connection between various types of oppression, specifically classism, racism, and sexism, whether overt or implied. Hurston masterfully uses attributes such as the female body, hair, and dress—specifically hair styling—as catalysts and symbols of change. Janie's differing hairstyles are skillfully utilized to depict African American culture and create a platform for the African American female voice. Janie's development from oppressed and powerless to strong and confident in her identity is apparent throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God. Not only does Janie embrace her ethnicity, evident in her physical appearance, particularly her hair, as a source of power, but she also uses her newfound confidence to transcend the boundaries that early 1900s American society imposed to silence her.

Oppression and Liberation

Janie's journey to self-realization is significantly marked by her struggle against oppression related to her hair. In Eatonville, her hair is celebrated by her community as a symbol of beauty and radiance. However, her jealous husband, Joe Starks, becomes envious of her beauty and forces her to cover her hair with a headscarf. To fully grasp the significance of Janie's trials and her quest for freedom through a positive self-concept of hair, it is essential to understand the historical and cultural significance of African hair, particularly the headscarf. Traditionally, the African American female headscarf holds a unique position in the history of African dress for both its longevity and its potent significations. Originating in sub-Saharan Africa, the headscarf served a similar function for both African and African American women. Upon arriving in the colonies, African slaves adapted their hair to American culture through headscarves, protecting their scalps from the sun and heat. This practice, deeply rooted in sub-Saharan aesthetics and worldview, took on a paradoxical meaning in the United States. Headscarves, once a protective measure, evolved into symbols of the oppression faced by black women, becoming pervasive in slave culture.

Symbolism of the Headscarf

Considering the headscarf as a symbol of white oppression over blacks through the servitude and anguish of slavery, Joe's demand that Janie tie up her alluring hair takes on multiple meanings. Although Janie lives decades after the emancipation of slavery, Joe's insistence on the headscarf recreates the dynamics of oppression from white over black to black over black, and from husband over wife, or male over female. Joe's domination over Janie is a form of punishment for her beauty, driven by jealousy when other men begin to notice her hair. Before their marriage, Joe encourages Janie to flaunt her gorgeous locks, saying, "Kiss me and shake yo’ head. When you do dat, yo’ plentiful hair breaks lak day." However, as marriage progresses, Joe becomes preoccupied with protecting their union from the single men in their community. As Janie and Joe grow apart, Janie begins to hide her most intimate and personal feelings, creating a conscious separation of self as a means of self-preservation. The man who once promised Janie the world becomes a possessive dictator, forcing her to hide her flowing mane. However, the townspeople cannot comprehend why Joe demands Janie hide her hair, and as a result, her hair earns the admiration of those around her. Joe's instinct to protect Janie from harm, in this instance from other men, is natural. Yet, his inability to express his emotions and the resulting misappropriation of his love for her lead to escalating abuse, culminating in the death of her love for Joe and turning the headscarf into a symbol of oppression.

Body Image and Sexuality

The development of self-concept and body image is intricately tied to Janie's use of her body, including her sexuality, as symbolized by her hair. Although Janie's allure is celebrated throughout the novel, her body and sexuality are oppressed by both Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. Janie's first husband, Logan Killicks, is significantly older than her, making the notion of sexual consummation of the marriage highly improbable. Logan's complaints about Janie's "stingy" behavior imply her lack of attention to his needs, both sexual and non-sexual. In her second marriage to Joe, the more he controls her body, particularly her hair, the more her sexuality diminishes. Joe restricts Janie's hair by demanding she wear a headscarf and confines her to the domestic sphere of the house and the store, places where his watchful eyes can easily monitor her. Joe's jealousy stems from his insecurities about his age, and the masculine power Janie's hair holds becomes unbearable for him. In stark contrast, her union with Tea Cake celebrates her beauty, worth, and body, with Janie's hair serving as a phallic symbol. When Janie is restricted to unfulfilling relationships, her hair is bound by a headscarf. However, when she forms a relationship with Tea Cake, her hair is let loose, signifying the liberation of her sexuality.

Transformation and Liberation

Despite the oppression Janie faces because of her hair, she ultimately overcomes patriarchal and social domination through liberating self-acceptance and a positive self-concept of her body image and sexuality. After Joe's death, Janie takes her first step toward liberation by promptly unleashing her hair from the confines of the headscarf. She admires herself in the mirror, tearing "… the kerchief from her head and lets down her plentiful hair. The weight, the length, the glory was there." The following day, Janie styles her hair in a "… thick braid swinging well below her waist" and boldly burns her headscarves, ensuring they will never subdue her again. This act of burning them serves as a cathartic cleansing and a symbolic rejection of her past oppression.

Love and Self-Actualization

Shortly after Joe's death, Janie forms a relationship with Tea Cake, who helps her further transform her self-concept and take additional steps toward liberating her hair. After Joe's funeral, she begins wearing her hair in a long braid—a step toward freedom, though not entirely liberating. One night, Janie awakens to find Tea Cake "… combing her hair and scratching dandruff from her scalp." Tea Cake's affectionate touch highlights the allure of her hair, but his actions go beyond satisfying his desires; they reflect acts of self-care typically performed by Janie. This intimate moment starkly contrasts the lack of intimacy in Janie's first two marriages. Unlike Logan and Joe, Tea Cake is determined to give Janie pleasure, affirm her beauty, and appreciate her hair. Although Janie initially struggles to trust Tea Cake, often retracting and collecting her hair to protect herself from potential harm, she eventually learns to trust him. Through their adventures, Janie achieves total liberation, free to be herself and act upon her desires. Tea Cake teaches Janie the beauty of sexual intimacy and pleasure, and this newfound freedom within their relationship equips her to move forward in life, retaking the place she once abandoned as an oppressed woman after Tea Cake's death.

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