In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Hurston shows how men use physical and verbal abuse against the protagonist to assert their dominance.
"Aw you know Ah'm gwine chop de wood fuh yuh. Even if you as stingy as you can be wid me. Yo' Grandma and me myself done spoilt yuh now, and Ah reckon Ah have tuh keep on wid it." (26)
"Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home." (43)
"Don't aim tuh tell yuh! Ah aims tuh keep yuh in de dark all de time. If you'se smart lak you let on you is, you kin find out."
"If you'd git yo' mind out de streets and keep it on yo' business maybe you could git somethin' straight sometimes." (70)
"Dat's 'cause you need tellin'," he rejoined hotly. "It would be pitiful if Ah didn't. Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves." (71)
"Aw naw they don't. They just think they's thinkin'. When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don't understand one." (71)
" I god almighty! A woman stay round uh store still she got old as Methusalem and still can't cut a little thing like a plug of tobacco! Don't stand dere rollin' yo' pop eyes at wid yo' rump hangin' neraly to yo' knees!" (78)
Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss. (145)
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