Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

This had given Janie a desire for more love and a life away from Logan. " Cause you told me Ah mus gointer love him, and, and Ah don't. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it.' " (Hurston 23) Janie and Tea Cake were traveling together, she had this anticipation of love and reasoned, "So this was a marriage," after they had kissed.

“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.

He strolls into Janie’s shop after Joe’s death to begin his courtship, however, Janie doesn’t believe he is being sincere and brushes off his advances. This all changes after Tea Cake does something no one ever considered for Janie, he teaches her to play checkers. With this he planted the first seed of love in Janie’s heart without her recognizing it. Tea Cake and Janie eventually fall for each other and decide to move to the Muck where Janie begins to work alongside Tea Cake. This provides an excellent example on the true love Janie holds for Tea Cake because she refused to work in the fields with Logan Killicks, her first husband, for even a day.

Ah’ll be down dis road uh little after sunup tomorrow mornin’ to wait for you. You come go wid me. Den all de rest of yo’ natural life you kin live lak you oughta. " The first red flag here is him saying, "Leave the s’posin’ to me," because this shows that from the beginning he truly didn't care what she

Janie had just returned home after the end of a long journey and lives to tell the tale. This happens to be where the story ends but finishes all at once in Zora Neal Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. While many messages can be taken from the narrative that proceeds after Janie returns has many symbols, meanings and themes alike. However, there is an outstanding theme of Relationships that is apparent in the story. Janie ends up in three separate, very different relationships throughout the novel and through each she learns a little more about herself and learns what’s best for her in the end.

Tea Cake, a younger man who is passionate and affectionate towards her, enters her life. Janie's relationship with Tea Cake differs from her previous two marriages in that Tea Cake allows her to be herself and encourages her to communicate her views and feelings. Tea Cake considers Janie to be an equal partner in their relationship, as evidenced by his words, “Ah never did want yuh to do dat, honey. It wuzn’t for nothin’. Ah just wanted yuh to know whut it wuz lak.”

While Janie is at work in her store, Tea Cake happens to stumble across the small shop looking for some cigarettes. Instantly, they both feel a connection between each other. Janie feels as though she has finally found her rightful partner. Hurston describes him as if “he looked like the love thoughts of women” (Hurston 106). Blown away by Tea Cake’s good looks and flirtatious behavior, Janie leaves herself with no choice but to get married to this mysterious, wonderful man.

(Hurston, 72) Janie realizes that she has a sense of self, and that she does not want to be defined solely by her husband's desires. She begins to develop her own voice, and she begins to assert

more’n you kin say… When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life” (Hurston 79). Janie stands up for herself and verbally attacks her husband, which was unusual for the time

She questions why Janie would marry a dark man like Tea Cake. Mrs. Turner falsely assumes, like the rest of the people form the town, that Janie only married Tea Cake for his money because she could not possibly love him. Janie informs Mrs. Turner that her assumption is incorrect because Tea Cake was not wealthy when they met, and he is the only person that has made her truly

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

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.

During this marriage Janie found true love and happiness when being with Tea Cake. This was the first time Janie felt respected and equal in a relationship since the last two men ended up treating her very poorly. After spending time with Tea Cake she realized that the horizon she once dreamed of reaching was possible and all had to do with the man she chose to be with. Janie was given another chance from God to relive her golden days, and she saw it as a rebirth in which she had the chance to experience the fun and adventurous side of herself. After Tea Cake decides to take Janie's money and throw a party behind her back, janie is more mad at the fact that she didn’t share those memories with her. "

Zora Neale Hurston develops Janie’s identity throughout her relationship with Tea Cake to portray early 20th century gender roles in Their Eyes Were Watching God through Tea Cake’s love and respect for Janie, as well as his honor of her individuality.

She ought not to let poor sick Tea Cake do something that would run him crazy when he found out what he had done,”(Pg 182). Janie is thinking about