Joe has a powerful presence in Eatonville, and Janie finds herself in the background, dominated by her husband and his ambitions. Joe is infatuated with making Eatonville into a working city. The townspeople both respect and fear Joe. While they are grateful for the positive changes that he has brought to the town, they fear the power that he holds over them. Not only does Joe dominate Janie, he also commands the townspeople.
In his rise to power, Janie becomes Joe's possession, similar to the businesses and people of the town. For example, after Joe is appointed mayor, one of the townspeople, Tony, introduces Janie to make a speech. Before she even has a chance to speak, Joe interrupts explaining "mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin' . . . She's uh woman and her place is in de home." He craves the power that he has as mayor and he also uses it in his relationship with Janie. He fails to treat Janie as an equal, but rather as one of his town subjects. Joe also refuses to allow Janie to wear her long hair down for fear that other men might touch it. Joe fears that another man will charm his wife and snatch her away from him, just as he did when she was married to Logan. Janie abides by Joe's rules because she has no power to challenge him.
Joe's position as mayor causes Janie to feel cold, isolated, and lonely. Janie feels isolated from most of the townspeople. Besides Pheoby Watson, she has no other close friends. As the mayor's wife, many people keep their distance from Janie because "she slept with authority and so she was part of it in the town mind." Not only does Janie feel isolated from the townspeople, but also she feels isolated from her husband. She explains to Joe that his position as mayor exerts a "strain" on their relationship. Joe believes Janie should be grateful to him for making "uh big woman" out of her. No longer is Janie an individual; she is the mayor's wife. For the second time, marriage for Janie is not what she had hoped.
