Janie Quotes And Analysis

1) Talk about the life Janie and Tea Cake live in bean-picking, swamp country and contrast it with Janie's life in Eatonville. What is Janie's attitude to the contrast?
Janie and Tea Cake seem very happy in the swamp country. They meet other workers and make friends, while they make money. Janie stays at home for awhile, but then starts working with Tea cake, but she does it by choice, not because her husband (like Logan) is forcing her too. They are happy where they are, and with the people they are around. This lifestyle is very different from how she was living in Eatonville. It’s dirty and gross, which makes her laugh thinking about how the people back there would look at her now. Overall, Janie feels free, happy, and loved.
2) Chapter 15 represents Janie's one bout with

jealousy. Discuss it and its resolution.
Janie is very jealous of Tea Cake and Nunkie.

They flirt often and Tea Cake doesn’t try to stop it. Janie goes looking for them one day because they are “missing”, but Tea Cake denies that he did anything with her. They fought for a long time, but the fight eventually turns into makeup sex. They aggression they felt was changed into a desire for one another. Tea Cake continued to refuse Janie’s accusations.
3) Talk about Mrs. Turner, her attitudes, and Janie and Tea Cake's different reactions to them.
Mrs. Turner is a mixed woman who dislikes and is racist towards darker black people. Mrs. Turner wants Janie to leave Tea Cake and go with her light-skinned brother. Janie isn’t interested, and Tea Cake despises Mrs. Turner. She views white people as some type of god whereas the black people are merely worshipers. Janie is also lighter skinned, so Mrs. Turner enjoys Janie’s company. Janie’s uninterested self feels that Mrs. Turner is racist but harmless. Tea Cake goes out of his way to get rid of Mrs. Turner with the fight in her restaurant.
4) The people on the muck gets lots of warnings before the hurricane. Discuss the various warnings and how you (and the characters) respond to

them.
They had many warnings including the animals, Native Americans, and the weather. They chose to ignore all of the warnings, and they waited until the next day when it starts to get very bad. Personally, I think it was dumb of them to not go, and have a get together instead. They chose to be stuck in the middle of the hurricane. Janie seemed nervous, but Tea Cake brushed off the warning signs. Tea Cake had many offers to leave the area an go to higher ground but he turned them down.
5) The title of the book comes from a line of narration during the hurricane. What do you think is the significance of the line in the context of this incident, and in the context of the book as a whole?
While Tea Cake and Janie are waiting to see what happens, they question God’s intentions. The storm was very bad, and they all started to be very worried that they might die. “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.” It seemed that they were against God as they watched his power destroy everything around them. To the book as a whole, it seems like they are pointing out that no matter what struggle Janie had gone through before this, this was her greatest struggle. The strength of God and nature is much greater.
6) Talk about the personification of the hurricane and the upheaval of nature in chapter 18.
Hurston talks about the hurricane as if it was some monster or beast that was destroying earth with a “heavy heal”. It was very windy, so everything was being thrown around violently. There is a quote that says something like “there was death all around us”. The water started to flood the area, so they started to flee. The water was raging and the sky was black.
7) Janie and Tea Cake have several very direct and personal conversations during the course of the storm. Discuss.
Janie and Tea Cake have very intimate conversations while the storm is happening and after. At the start of the storm, Tea Cake mentions that he is sorry to Janie for not leaving earlier, and that he wonders if she would rather be at her big house in Eatonville. Janie quickly refuses this and tells him how much she truly loves him. She says that as long as they stay together. Tea Cake saves Janie’s life from a vicious dog, while getting bit in the face. Their relationship and love grow due to these events.

8) Discuss the characters' situation at the end of today's reading.
Janie and Tea Cake realize they have nowhere to live. Palm Beach is full of refuges that escaped with their lives from the hurricane. “It was just that. No place to live at all. Just sleep.” They are trying to figure everything out, but are happy that they are alive and together.