"So he struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store."

It's always fascinating to read an older novel, such as Their Eyes Watching God, and notice how although the time and geography are vastly different, people experience the same events, same horrors, same triumphs. 

In this novel, Janie is a woman devoid of love. Emotionally, physically, her aging husband Joe cannot satisfy her on any level. Shower her with his wealth and possessions he did, but they matter not. She feels empty, void of any positive feelings.

And to put a cherry on the cake, Joe is becoming abusive.The moment that Janie removed his "immeasurable manliness" by cutting him with her tongue, his only defense are his fists. She hurt him, so he must hurt her. 

Although this novel was written over seventy-five years ago, the common scenario happens every day, across all oceans, down every alley and through each door. Men who beat their significant other, some perverse display. Many strike their wives out of self-loathing, out of misplaced desire to feel powerful, meaningful. Though, spousal abuse is not exclusive to women, it is what we hear of most frequently, lining the bottoms of newscasts and peering through the internet. Former NFL player Rick Rice (or something, I don't watch football) knocks his fiancee out cold in a public elevator, drags her dormant body out, and what is he slapped with? A fine and a suspension. Though if any other citizen committed such an act, ON FILM no less, they would be sentenced to years in penitentiary. What kind of message does this portray? Our athletes are treated as Golden Gods, standing upon marble pedestals, impervious to the punishment of us trite mortals. 

What's even more curious is why women return to their abusers. Some are simply scared of the retaliation that would be summoned if the topic of splitting up rose through their lips, a valid fear. Some have misplaced desires to fix their abuser, make them whole again. And for some, violence is all they know. The sins of the father passed to the children. Some believe that violence and abuse is a normal, typical, healthy part of any relationship. 

It's an important message to convey: abuse is not healthy, it is not normal. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable. If you are in an abusive relationship, get out. It doesn't get better. The cycle of abuse, reconciliation, and relapse is just as constant as the sun rise.