1. Unlike Janie’s previous husbands, Tea Cake treats Janie with compassion and respect. In addition, he loves Janie for her personality instead of her looks and her role as a woman (housewife). 2. The speech characteristic that Tea Cake encourages Janie with is truth.
She needs to learn how to try to find herself more and what she wants that is not materialistic rather than just settling for things that may first appealing, but will only leave her unsatisfied at the end. Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Questions Chapters 10-15 10. Discuss Janie 's relationship with Tea Cake in comparison/contrast approach to Logan and Jody. Janie
In the story's final chapter, soon after Tea Cake’s death, Janie returns to Eatonville and meets her old friend Pheoby. In this reunion, Janie shares her story and discloses the life lessons she has learned from her marriages with Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake. Janie’s
Even though Tea Cake treats Janie as an equal, there still is a slight power struggle in her relationship with him as she increasingly realizes her needs as an individual. Therefore it is still possible to see Tea Cake as having some degree of control over Janie until his death. There is one instance in which Janie is proven to be a vital
"People inspire you, or they drain you; pick them wisely" (Hans F. Hasen). These words are known by many but followed by few. Zora Neale Hurston, the author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, illustrates this with the primary character, Janie. She had three husbands: Joe Starks, Logan Killicks, and Tea Cake. Janie is held captive by these toxic relationships which are rife with greed, arrogance, and gaslighting.
After Tea Cake teaches Janie to play checkers at the store, he begins to accompany her home at night and shows her experiences that she’s never had. Janie makes it clear that she is extremely fond of Tea Cake and the things he takes her to do, particularly “…digging worms by lamp light and setting out for Lake Sabelia after midnight that she felt like a child breaking the rules. That’s what made Janie like it” (102). Janie clearly enjoys being able to break the rules'' and be able to express herself more freely than she had been able to while married to Joe. As Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship became more open, “the town began to notice things and [get] mad” (110).
(133) Tea Cake’s control over Janie is not intentional. He does not set out with the goal to force her into doing something that she doesn't want to do. I don't believe that he knows the effect that he has on Janie's actions, and how willing she is to sacrifice her day in order to make him happy. While Tea Cake isn't forcing her to go and work in the fields with him, he is controlling her because he is using Janie’s infatuation with him as a tool to spend time with her. Which, is not really a bad thing, because not all forms of control are negative.
Tea Cake helped Janie learn how to play checkers and she was very good at it. “Everyone was surprised at Janie playing checkers, but they liked it. Three or four stood behind her and coached her moves and generally made merry with her in a restrained way” (Hurston 95). This quote explains the discovery of Janie's self worth and identity because she learns stuff about herself that no one ever helped her realize, such as how intelligent and talented she is. Also how she is a very quick learner and can pick up new things very quickly.
With Tea Cake, she could be herself. He allowed her to be herself because he loved her the way she was and didn’t want to make her change to be something she wasn’t. Tea Cake encouraged Janie to be what she wanted and to follow her dreams and aspirations. Janie finally was able to find the bee to pollinate her pear blossom. She loved him with all her heart.
Janie’s relation with Joes till his death is another step to realize the real meaning of domination and liberation. The moment that Janie kills her third husband Tea Cake is a must in the novel. Although Tea Cake liberated Janie from two different kinds of domination for a period of time but he turns to practice another kind of domination through his physical abuse and his jealousy; so his murder is a momentary freedom for Janie. Janie in her development and growth contends to replace the old culture concept that places women’s wishes on material and economic demands by love and affection.
As we see in the storm, Janie tells Tea Cake, “Once upon uh time, ah never ‘spected nothin’, Tea Cake, but bein’ dead from the standin’ still and tryin’ tuh laugh. But you come ‘long and made somethin’ outa me. So Ah’m thankful fuh anything we come through together” (158). Despite having gone through a deadly situation that nearly killed her due to Tea Cake’s ignorance to the warnings of the storm, she still loves him. He endangers her life, yet, rather than expressing anger or disappointment, she expresses appreciation toward him for being in her life and giving her a life to live—a life of joy.
She found the happiness that her two other marriages lacked. Jealousy and caring sets in during this chapter. Janie truly misses and cares about Tea Cake when he is gone for a long time. Janie turns to God and prays saying, “Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin’, Jesus.
With each marriage, Janie grows more self-aware and realizes what her true desires are. She wants to be with a man who makes her happy, but also treats her with the respect and dignity she deserves. In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie’s independence grows as she yearns for true love through her three marriages. Janie’s willingness to do what others ask, leads to her being pressured into marriage at sixteen years old by her grandmother.
Jody controlled major aspects of Janie’s life, such as her appearance, when he forces her to keep her hair up. Janie does not like that Jody feels the need to control her: “This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it... that was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was” (Hurston 55).
Tea Cake gambles Janie’s money away but never gambles it back. The audience will pick up on that he uses her. Tea Cake never hits Janie because Oprah left the Turners out of the movie. She makes their relationship a love story. Tea Cake and Janie never argue.
