Tea cakes philosophy of living involves taking things as they come and gaining as much pleasure from life as possible. Their eyes were watching god is a novel written by africanamerican author zora neale hurston. How marxism relates to their eyes were watching god. It is now firmly established in the literary canon. Analysis of tea cake janie starks is working in her store, minding her own business, when in walks a young man filled with happiness. In their eyes were watching god, zora neale hurston uses dialect when tea cake speaks in order to emphasize her cultural background. This is partially because im pushed for time and partially because, while i found much to like in chapters 10 16 how nice to see janie living and loving. About the life of zora neale hurston and the fictional character janie in her novel their eyes were watching god. The 12 women wore nice clothes and were clearly not poorwhat reason has they to overlook their richness to see janie is overalls. Jul 11, 2012 there is a lot of praise for tea cake in that section by the black community and they even accuse her of adultery. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. Tea caketea cake does not arrive in the narrative until the last quarterbut his character is anticipated from the very beginning of the novel, referenced by the porch sitters, who suspect that tea cake has left janie.
Their eyes were watching god lessons from literature. That a man put on a robe and 12 other men stopped what they were doing to hear about janie and tea cake and that they didnt know anything about tea cake and her. Zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god charts the development of an african american woman living in the 1920s and 1930s as she searches for her true identity. Eyes were watching god, in the backbone structure and plot of her novel, in the characterization of the heroines three lovers, in the frame tale, and in such incidents as the mule story, teacakes gambling activities, and the rabid dog. Their eyes were watching god makes rabies look about as much fun as medieval torture. Like all of the other men in janies life, he plays only a supporting role. Their eyes were watching god characters course hero. List of characters in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god chapter 11 summary course hero. Simmons character analysis in their eyes were watching. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of their eyes were watching god and what it means. Their eyes were watching god journal entry 1 gaysunbteng112. Published in 1937, it was revolutionary for readers to explore themes of love, language, gender, and spirituality through the eyes of a young black woman.
Zora neale hurston centered her novel their eyes were watching god around the protagonist janie and her journey to find herself. As we see at the end of the novel, after tea cake s death, janie. He works and plays hard, being both a gambler and a jokester. Start studying their eyes were watching god characters. The essay offers an analysis of the text in reference to other african american literary works. Tea cake character analysis in their eyes were watching. She gets stuck in the ways of the normal black woman living in the south during the 30s. Get everything you need to know about tea cake in their eyes were watching god.
Maybe it was cleaning, staying home and taking care of the family, or maybe satisfying the husband simply by fulfilling his needs. The story starts out with janie, a middleaged african american woman, returning to her hometown in eatonville, florida. Modern readers may be surprised that the beating has such little effect. Their eyes were watching god was written by zora neale hurston and published in 1937. Jan 28, 2020 zora neale hurston centered her novel their eyes were watching god around the protagonist janie and her journey to find herself. Throughout these relationships janie discovers new aspects of the society she lives in, including discrimination because of who she is. Their eyes were watching god character analysis litcharts. Their eyes were watching god is a 1937 novel by africanamerican writer zora neale hurston. Glossary kitchen matches these were a type of common household matches made for years by, among others, the ohio match company. Role of vodou symbolism in their eyes were watching god zora neal hurstons most popular novel, their eyes were watching god, was written during the seven weeks that the author lived in haiti, researching and participating in haitian vodou practice. A search for self although the novel follows janie through three relationships with men, most critics see its. Their eyes were watching god character graphic organizer as you read, fill in observations for each chapter. Chapter summary for zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god, chapter 11 summary.
In their eyes were watching god, janies learning to shoot even better than tea cake foreshadows her having to shoot him at the end of the novel. Read the excerpt from their eyes were watching god, in which tea cake is talking about mrs. Janie grows extremely jealous of her, but after tea cake reassures her that this individual means nothing to him, she disappears from the novel. Print or download the full ncte education standards. African american writer zora neale hurston wrote the novel their eyes were watching god in 1937. Critical analysis of their eyes were watching god 1866 words 8 pages.
This is where tea cake attempted to save his wife from a rabid dog in the floods, receiving. He is the first man to value janie as a real person with desires of her own. The opening scene of hurstons their eyes were watching god shows janie coming back from her excursion away from home with her third husband, tea cake. The their eyes were watching god quotes below are all either spoken by tea cake or refer to tea cake. Vodou in their eyes were watching god linkedin slideshare. Their eyes were watching god characters by kezia scherer. Character analysis of tea cake their eyes were watching god. Tea cake vergible woods tea cake is janies third husband.
Their eyes were watching god 10 questions by djkwhite last updated. For janie, this meeting with tea cake is truly just the beginning of her personal freedom and the new experiences that tea cake will offer her. Tea cake s principal concern is for himself, and he often disguises his selfishness under the guise of love for janie. Vergible tea cake woods in their eyes were watching god. Analysis of their eyes were watching god 1477 words 6 pages. Nov 05, 20 tea cake vergible woods tea cake is janies third husband. Rubric overview essay writing time absent students. Occupation, attitude, description, etc what obstacles does the character face. Janie crawford maiden name killicksstarkswoods janie is the protagonist of the novel and the narrative traces her development from naive girl, to a selfsufficient and outspoken woman in her forties. Notes on characters from their eyes were watching god. Read the excerpt from their eyes were watching god, in. Tea cake never abandoned janie, and janie is confident that he is waiting for her in the next life.
As we see at the end of the novel, after tea cakes death, janie. In their eyes were watching god, zora neale hurston uses. What is the description of tea cake from the book their. However, through a deeper analysis of symbols and relationships in their eyes were watching god, clearly janie gains selfactualization not after tea cakes death, but before she begins a relationship with him as a result of incremental growth which she first. By david do the character i have decided to analyze was tea cake.
The townspeople gossip feverishly about where janie has been, and what has become of her third husband, tea cake. Their eyes were watching god analysis essay example for free newyorkessays database with more than 65000 college essays for studying. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. In the end, janie stays around for a few weeks so that people can get over their guilt about being so cruel to her. Their eyes were watching god is a novel depicting the 1920s and 1930s by following janie, a black girl who had a decent childhood considering the disappearance of her parents and the time period she lived in. The climax occurs when tea cakes pride concludes in a poor sense of judgement when he decides to stay in town despite the news of a dangerous hurricane. Logan, jody, and tea cake in hurstons their eyes were. Get the entire their eyes were watching god litchart as a printable pdf. Ill be fairly brief as i consider this weeks batch of chapters of their eyes were watching god. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Amoroso ap literature their eyes were watching god lap topic 4 to find the elusive and coveted treasure of love, a dauntless expedition is untaken into lifes catacombs, scouring through the tunnels and evading the traps that lurk in the shadowy corners. Their eyes were watching god cliffsnotes study guides. Tea cake is actually 12 years younger than janie, but impresses her with his quick wit and his will of living. Characters what factual details do you notice about the character.
He meets the heroine janie after she has had two less than fulfilling marriages. What is the description of tea cake from the book their eyes. Analysis about their eyes were watching god english. Sitting on the porch, tea cake and janie talk until almost 11 oclock. How old is tea cake in their eyes were watching god their eyes were watching god. Janie crawford, the main character of zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god, strives to find her own voice throughout the novel and, in my opinion, she succeeds even though it takes her over thirty years to do it. On november 5, 2019, the bbc news listed their eyes were watching god on its list of the 100 most influential novels. This quote shows that although it is possible to analyze with only one lens, it is common to find more than one analysis lens in a. At the beginning of the book janie was 16 years old and unmarried. There is a lot of praise for tea cake in that section by the black community and they even accuse her of adultery.
Paper 2 on ethan frome and their eyes were watching god. She spends most of the book searching for love and never finding it. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Tea cake was janies third husband whom she had loved sincerely. In zora neal hurstons novel, their eyes were watching god, a woman named janie crawford learns what love truly means to her through the experiences she has with three different men.
Simmons gives a testimony in defense of janie after she is called to court, telling the jury that tea cake was dangerous and janie was right to kill him in selfdefense. Hurstons novel begins with janie crawfords homecoming. From tea cake, janie learns how to love, about her cultural roots, how to live life in a natural way, and to find ways to have fun just living. In terms of symbolism, their eyes were watching god is chockfull. The novels heroine, janie is both the narrator and protagonist of her story. Although tea cake showed janie respect, there still seemed to be a power struggle between the two.
Their eyes were watching god is an inspiring and motivating piece of literature. The climax occurs when tea cake s pride concludes in a poor sense of judgement when he decides to stay in town despite the news of a dangerous hurricane. Analysis of major and minor characters their eyes were. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Hurstons book guides us through character janie crawfords hectic journey while taking place in the 1900s. Throughout the novel, she goes though a process of selfrevelation and finds her identity and voice. All the men that she could get, and fooling with somebody like tea cake. Detailed analysis of characters in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. After tea cake returns from his two day hiatus, janie warns, tea cake, if you dont hurry up and tell me, ahll take and beat yo head flat as uh dime 122. Then she leaves him for joe starks, and eventually leaves joe for tea cake.
Themes of their eyes were watching god novel summaries. In fact, tea cakes rabiesfueled jealousy is what ends up killing him. We will write a custom essay on analysis of tea cake in their eyes were watching god. Trying to imagine tea cake in their eyes were watching god.
The court scene was interesting to me because it brought out the intersectionality of janie. Tea cakes beating of janie early in chapter 17 is one of the most confusing incidents in the novel. Their eyes were watching god serves as a testament to the ability of women to achieve life experience, fulfillment, and happiness. In fact, tea cake s rabiesfueled jealousy is what ends up killing him. Their eyes were watching god character analysis course hero. Their eyes were watching god gender expectations critical analysis in the early 1930s, women had several expectations to meet when it came to family values and responsibilities. Check out shmoop s visual take on what its all about. Physical, mental, and emotional explain how this obstacle is or is not a human rights issue. May 11, 2016 the character i have decided to analyze was tea cake. The novel has been recognized as an important piece of literature for women and african americans. A summary of chapters 1718 in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Analyze the cyclical structure of hurstons plot and the novels character development to identify incidents of relationship abuse in the literature. Tea cake is janies third husband and the only one she has ever loved. It is considered a classic of the harlem renaissance of the 1920s, and it is likely hurstons best known work.
Tea cake functions as the catalyst that helps drive janie toward her goals. With so many new disciplines especially open to the themes and content of hurstons work, their eyes were watching god achieved growing prominence in the last several decades. How old is tea cake in their eyes were watching god. Before his arrival, janie has already begun to find her own voice, as is demonstrated when she finally stands up to jody. At the end of the book janie is around 40 years old and has been through 3 marriages. Analysis and discussion of tea cake in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god.
Their eyes were watching god is one of the texts which were written during that time, and hurston succeeds in presenting the black protest literature. May 31, 2017 an analysis of their eyes were watching god the book addresses the racial and gender inequality present in the society janie lives in and demonstrates the ways in which this affects her life as many women were blindfolded by societal expectations. But behind janies read full character analysis of her three husbands logan killicks and jody starks being the first two, tea cake is janie s. Despite their differences in age and life experience, the two characters are deeply attracted to one another. The bourgeoisie of the book are depicted as the white man and janies first two husbands. Their eyes were watching god teacake showing 114 of 14. How many times was janie married in their eyes were watching god. Chapter 17 provides another glimpse of life in the muck, complicating our understanding of janie and tea cakes relationship just before the climactic arrival of the hurricane in chapter 18. This quote contains some harsh words, but their love is strong enough where they understand each other and tea cake regards the threat as janies love for him. Learn all about how the characters in their eyes were watching god such as janie and pheoby contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. The forty year old african american woman returns alone to eatonville at sundown, walking silently past the townspeople watching her from their porches and passing silent judgement. Of the most important symbols are the previouslymentioned hair, trees, mules, and the horizon.
Janie janie crawford is the books main focus, as well as the narrator throughout the book. Tea cake is twentyfive years old and is not wealthy, but he has an inner. Nobody, however, moved, nobody spoke, nobody even thought to swallow spit until after her gate slammed behind her 2. The timeline below shows where the character tea cake appears in their eyes were watching god. Character analysis vergible tea cake woods instead, he finds the widow janie starks minding her store while just about everyone else in town has left to go to the ballgame. He arrives a happy man, and his happiness attracts janie. Of mixedrace origins, janie is the object of much attention for her notably light black skin and physical beauty. How marxism relates to their eyes were watching god zora neale hurston depicts marxist theory in her book their eyes were watching god, supporting it with numerous examples of the class struggle. Tea cake character analysis in their eyes were watching god.