Tea Cake And Janie Relationship

Proceeding to Janie’s marriage to Tea Cake, Janie not only gains profound confidence but an ability to assert her identity as a “free” woman in which she was previously denied by Jody’s overall dominance. From chapters 11-16 the audience learns more about Tea Cake who helps drive Janie toward unconditional love. Before his arrival, Janie has already started to find her own voice, as it is demonstrated when she finally stands up to Jody, and released her hair from the shackles, but when she becomes more associated with Tea Cake she gains a strong and sanguine outlook to achieving her overall dream of unconditional love. Nevertheless as Janie becomes more attached with Tea Cake she is able to gain personal growth as women, and be able to blossom

under the pear tree “he looked like the love thoughts of women.

He could be a bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring… So this was a marriage”.

Initially when Janie meets Tea Cake, Janie already begun to develop a strong, proud sense of self, but Tea Cake accelerates this personal growth. Ever since her moment under the pear tree, Janie has known that she will find the meaning of love through Tea Cake. In Tea Cake, she finds someone who doesn't suppress her personality and someone who respects her. Whereas Logan treats her improperly and Jody suppresses her, Tea Cake plays with her. Instead of stifling her personality, he encourages it, introducing her to new experiences and skills. Staring from chapter 11 Hurston deepens our understanding of Janie’s attraction to Tea Cake. Although it was Tea Cake who has more feelings for Janie these feeling spark Janie’s mindset to actually consider Tea Cake to be the blossoming pear tree. Moreover further in the chapters the audience witnesses how much Janie has matured since her relationship with Jody as previously she wasn’t able to express ideas and emotions such as when she blames her Nanny for distorted priorities about life in general. Her Nanny experienced slavery which was a harsh life in which she passed down the notion that materialism is particularly ideal in order to live a smooth life. Janie’s sympathy for her grandmother represents

another step toward attaining her goal as she realizes that her quest is not going to be easy. Moreover when Janie finds out about Tea Cake’s incident with Nunkie it shows Janie’s need for absolute power with Tea Cake. She cannot bear the thought that she can’t be with him at all times. Although the previous chapters establish the inequalities in their relationship, this chapter reveals that Janie is not willing to compromise on important matters; their relationship must be egalitarian. Nevertheless after all her suffering in this chapter, Janie is more in love with Tea Cake than before; she feels a complete, powerful, and “self-crushing love” with Tea Cake. Furthermore Tea Cake makes Janie genuinely happy. He continues to treat her with respect and remains unthreatened by her increased empowerment. He teaches her to shoot a gun, and remains undisturbed by the fact that she becomes better than him. Unlike Jody, who forces Janie to conceal the masculine power that she was destined to embody, Tea Cake encourages Janie’s strength. She is closer than ever before to the ideal of the pear tree, leading a satisfying life.
The reason why Janie sticks with Tea Cake despite his misjudgments is to revitalize her overall dream. Although he clearly loves and needs her, Tea Cake has become all that she wants. Tea Cake has enables Janie to begin her quest and, in the process, has become the goal of her quest. Moreover, Janie ability to assert herself in society becomes an overarching symbol as the rest of the story will revolve if she achieves pear tree.