When the nanny tells her young and naive granddaughter Janie Crawford, "the nigger woman is the mule uh de world so hairy as I can see,” (14) is simply setting the stage for a series of connections between humans and animals that communicate Hurston's ideas about human relationships. Animals, particularly mules, appear as powerful symbols throughout the novel. Through anecdotes personifying animals and images of humans as animals, Hurston connects the two and reinforces Nanny's belief in the social position of black women in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Say No to Plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hurston's description of animals as possessing human qualities draws parallels to humans in the story and subtly questions the behavior of humans. Matt Bonner's mule stories serve to establish the mule as a silly, silly, stubborn personality and to create connections between man and mule. With their stories the inhabitants of the town give the mule character and will, as if he had a real personality: "he is simply too bad to be fat. He remains poor and skinny just out of spite. (49) The mule is even given a full funeral speech and ceremony as if he were a human being, as important as any other in the city. The two funerals of the mule fully establish the bond between man and animal. The Buzzards ceremony is remarkably similar to Jody Starks' elaborate memorial services. During her eulogy, Jody refers to the mule as "our most illustrious citizen" and "dear departed brother." (57) Although her tone is joking, Jody is acknowledging the true connection the townspeople felt with the mule. The buzzards' formal “pastor” (58) procedure and call-and-response ceremony give the animals a human quality. The ceremony also makes fun of the humans' ridiculous actions, particularly Jody's pompous behavior and the way others in Eatonville address him. Hurston often uses animal imagery when describing humans in Their Eyes Were Watching God to show the subjugation of both Americans. blacks and women, reaffirming Nanny's beliefs. From the beginning, the small black inhabitants of Eatonville are described not as human beings but as “mules and other brutes” who “occupied the skin” (1) of the citizens. Neither the narrator nor Janie take these "skins" seriously (183) or seem to care much about their cruel gossip. Hurston places the blame for the sitters' catty talk on the Eatonville porch not on the "tongueless, earless, eyeless" gossip themselves, but on "the boss," who uses the sitters as "comfort." (1) Hurston shifts the blame to superiors because she believes her lazy and rude characters are a product of the way white society has treated them. Likewise, women are generally seen not as equals to men but as prizes and possessions in their eyes looked upon God. This is evident from the town's attitude towards Janie and the ways of her first two husbands. It is clear from the way Janie's first husband, Logan, speaks to her that he sees her as his possession rather than his companion; when he calls her to help him, he tells Janie: “you have no particular place. It's everywhere I need you." (30) During her second marriage, Janie also sees herself as her husband's prize; as a rich man's wife, she realizes that "she had to think of herself as the bell cow, the other women were the gang." (39) Her experiences with these men ultimately help Janie realize that she is truly in love with Tea Cake, who sees her as his.