Role Of Janie's Growth In Tea Cake By Zora Neale

“It was generally assumed that she thought herself too good to work like the rest of the women and that Tea Cake “pomped her up tuh dat.” But all day long the romping and playing they carried on behind the boss’s back made her popular right away” (Hurston 157). Men on the field were surprised to see her pick of the basket to pick beans, but as time went on they grew fond of her and their opinions of her changed. TeaCake and Janie’s relationship is going so strong and so well, and Janie starts to reflect on her previous relationships and how they compare to hers with TeaCake. He makes dinner with her, respects her, and see’s her as equal to him, whereas the men in past relationships have not treated her, or seen her, like that.

The wish and the fulfillment." (p. 183). Janie sees Tea Cake as a source of fulfillment and happiness in her life. He has given her the feeling of freedom and independence that she has been searching for, and has allowed her to truly be

Next, Janie continues on her determined journey for love when she goes off to marry Tea Cake. In the quote,

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.

When tea cake shows up janie 's feels something she has never felt before, she is set free but the townspeople don 't think so. “‘Ain’t you skeered he’s jes after yo’ money him bein’ younger than you?’” (Hurston pg.133)Janie is in love with Tea Cake because he loves her for her youthful young side that was forced into hiding for so long because of her previous husbands. However the rest of the community is discouraging her and trying to keep her in the image as a mayor 's wife. They told Janie that Tea Cake was after her money

In the beginning Janie feels as if Tea Cake’s age would effect their relationship. She has strong feelings for him, but on the other hand people are saying he will run off with her money. Janie proves them wrong and runs off and gets married to Tea Cake. He makes Janie feel wanted, she feels like she could be herself. Janie states, "We been tuhgether round two years.

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.

Tea Cake is younger than Janie but is still very willing to find love. He does not have the money to really help or support Janie cause he does gamble a lot. But he starts telling her, “Ah no need no assistance tun help me feed my woman. From now on, you goin tuh eat whatever mah money can buy and wear the same” ( Hurston 65). Tea Cake is telling Janie about how he is going to take care of her, and that she won't have to worry about money because he will provide it.

In Hurston's novel, she focuses on Janie's oppression because she is a black woman. Janie’s power fluctuates throughout the novel and especially in her relationship with Tea Cake. Tea Cake is the love of Janie’s life and allows her to feel the equality she longed for her entire life. One example of this is when Tea Cake and Janie are playing checkers together and Janie mentions, “Jody useter tell me Ah never would learn. It wuz too heavy fuh mah brains” (96).

Tea Cake’s Negative Impact on Janie's Life A successful marriage requires more than just love; it requires trust, communication, and mutual respect. In the book “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie's relationship with Tea Cake begins as a fairytale, but ultimately leads to the destruction of her life. The lack of trust, communication between the two, combined with Tea Cake's financial recklessness, overbearing ego, controlling nature, and domestic abuse all played a negative role in Janie's life, eventually leading to the downfall of their fairytale type romance. Tea Cake’s irresponsible and selfish behavior when it comes to money plays a detrimental effect on Janie and their marriage.

(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.

With Teacake, Janie had the freedom to have her beautiful hair down. He gave her more freedom then she ever had in her entire life. She tells Pheoby, “Ah jus’ loves dis freedom” (93). The outward conformity and the inward Janie was forced to tie up her long hair because her husband did not like the fact that other people were taking a liking to it around the store, “That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Hurston 55).

But as time goes on Tea cake and Janie start to develop a stronger relationship. Tea cake takes on a whole new role in Janie's life and helps to push her to achieving her dreams. Unlike all the other men that Janie had been with Tea Cake was more of a supporter. Most of all Tea Cake actually loved her and Janie loved

She meets Tea Cake, falls in love, and later marries him. This marriage is by far the most special and unique marriage Janie has had. Her relationship with Tea Cake is her first true love; which consists of affection, happiness, understanding and everything else that follows. This marriage makes Janie feel like she has a second chance in life to relive her youth. Janie has lots of fun and is truly blessed and happy with Tea Cake.

Thus it is still possible to see Tea Cake as having a degree of control over Janie until the moment of his death. In each of her relationships, we watch Janie lose parts of herself under the forces of male domination. The men are not the only characters who see the traditional take on gender relations, where the men are dominant, and the women are obedient, as necessary and