Concept Of Power In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

In Zora Neale Hurston's, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the concept of power is heavily emphasized throughout the novel. Although Joe “Jody” Starks, a man full of confidence and aspiration, became the mayor of the black town of Eatonville, he had an obsession for power and control that led to destruction.
Power is fulfillment to Starks. He demonstrates patriarchy and dominance over Janie when he “rears and pitches in de store sometimes when she make uh mistake is… ungodly, but she don’t seem to mind at all” (50). Janie lets Starks treat her that way, being submissive to him. These observations were made by Sam Watson, a porch sitter in town, which signify that even the common eyes can see the power and control Starks has over Janie, yet she doesn’t do anything about it. After he was nominated as mayor of the town, Janie was given an opportunity to speak. However, he shuts her off, keeping her submissive by saying “mah wife don’t know nothin’
In a way, they felt secure about Sparks making solid changes in the town, yet they felt insecure that they are just being used for his own benefit. Just like the foiled phrase “they bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down” (50). This quote is the source of Starks’s power. He was the king of the town, the center of attention, hence the town that “bowed” (50). As a businessman, he took advantage of the available resources (i.e. townspeople) to make his own goals a success and made profit. Even the house he built was different than the rest, as if the ideology of slavery were coming back indirectly, where he was the slave owner and everyone were just slaves. The passionate, powerful, and entrepreneurial Joe Starks turned out to be an over-confident, sexist, and controlling