Racism Within a All Black Community
One thing that is apparent throughout chapter six is the internalized racism experienced by Janie in the all-black community of Eatonville. Janie is light-skinned and has many white features, most notably her hair. During that era and today, lighter skinned black people were perceived to be a higher class of Negro compared to the darker ones. Roderick Hicks agrees, “For years, American society made color the overriding issue in the lives of blacks. So even now, blacks find it difficult to rid themselves of a preoccupation with color… shading of skin remains an important factor in the black community, particularly in social situations such as dating and marriage” (99).
Janie experiences this racism when she overhears townsfolk telling stories of Matt Bonner’s yellow mule. Janie enjoyed hearing this stories but Jody, “had forbidded her to indulge. He didn’t want her talking after such trashy people” (Hurston 50). Jody wants to maintain that Janie is of a higher class because of her light skin and status as his wife among the town. He does not want her to associate herself with poor darker skinned blacks that, “don’t even own de house dey sleep in” (Hurston 51).
Even though Jody is dark skinned, his position of authority make him seem white. He much like slave owners of past, controls every aspect of life for black people in the town. Jody is the store owner, mayor, and primary business man, “He is a new type of Negro character—a wheeler dealer and in everything except color like his counterpart in white novels and white life” (Davis 31).
- Andy
