The Dilemma of Control in Their Eyes were Watching God and Stranger in a Strange Land Anonymous College

The institution of marriage has changed over the last century from a patriarchal control construct to a more open organization. The books Their Eyes were Watching God and Stranger in a Strange Land both attack the institution of traditional marriage and present alternatives. This paper will discuss the ways in which these books present critiques of the traditional marriage model, especially the aspects of control and jealousy. Both books depict profound cultural paradigm shifts that eschew the ownership model of marriage in favor of a romantic partnership. Despite the similarities of their preoccupations, Heinlein and Hurston take radically different approaches to the post-patriarchal marriage.

Recent news stories about gay marriage have highlighted the fact that Americans are extremely concerned with the shape of the nuclear family. Both sides frame the debate in terms of preserving the family unit. One side considers gay marriage to be an affront to the traditional family and the first step to total dissolution of the family as a viable institution. The other side argues that gay marriage represents merely a variation, similar to previously forbidden familial bonds including interracial marriages and single parent households....