The constant death that encircles Janie is a persistent reminder that no one can defend against their finite lifespan, so instead, death should not be feared, or fought in order for new beginnings to arise. The motif of death relates to the book as a whole because both Tea Cake and Jody fear death and try to avoid it, often emotionally and physically harming Janie to their dying breath.
A fear of death causes a person to live a life void of true freedom and peace. As Janie’s grandmother nears death she states, “[The] angel [with the] sword is [going to] stop by here”(15). She states that death is a divine angel that arrives only when necessary. Through this description it can be concluded that Grandma does not fear death, “let dese golden moments rolls on a few days longer”(15). The days before death are described as being golden, spiritual, and satisfied. Unlike Jody and Tea Cake, Janie’s grandmother does not fear death and instead accepts her last moments and live in a state of bliss. On the contrary, when death is coming for Jody he is frozen in fear, “The icy sword of the square-toed one...left his hands in a pose of agonizing protest”(87). By protesting death, Jody died painfully, cursing Janie to the very end. Death is described as having “square-toes” and an “icy sword” referring to the frosty absence of love between Jody and Janie, and the devil-like nature of the creature. Fearing death only causes unnecessary stress as, “Some [of the] bodies [had] calm faces… some