Comments on: Tea Cake and Janie in Chs 12-15 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/ Just another Learnerblogs.org weblog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:38:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-91 hurston Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:12:17 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-91 <p>I agree with what Cassie said about how Janie does not need to fill the loss of Tea Cake with another man. Tea Cake showed her somehting no other man could. He treated her with repsect and did not use her as a trophy as her former two husbands did. I almost feel like Janie used Tea Cake as a prop to achieve her goal. She used his respect and love to gain confidence and voice. In the coming chapters of the novel, i think Janie will continue down the path Tea Cake helped her get on. Her life will be better, even though Tea Cake is gone. I strongly believe that there will be no more men in her life, and she will prove to the readers that she is a strong and independent woman, and hero like qualities will be shown.</p><p>-JAY REIN-</p> I agree with what Cassie said about how Janie does not need to fill the loss of Tea Cake with another man. Tea Cake showed her somehting no other man could. He treated her with repsect and did not use her as a trophy as her former two husbands did. I almost feel like Janie used Tea Cake as a prop to achieve her goal. She used his respect and love to gain confidence and voice. In the coming chapters of the novel, i think Janie will continue down the path Tea Cake helped her get on. Her life will be better, even though Tea Cake is gone. I strongly believe that there will be no more men in her life, and she will prove to the readers that she is a strong and independent woman, and hero like qualities will be shown.

-JAY REIN-

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-77 hurston Sun, 27 Nov 2005 23:36:45 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-77 I disagree. Go figure since i'm the one that wrote that Tea Cake sets Janie free. I agree with you Sarah in that it seems Tea Cake sets Janie on a pedastal however it is clearly because he considers Janie to be better than him. He knows what Janie had with Jody (meaning in a material sense) and he knows that he has no means of competing with that. He doesn't want to expose Janie to a world based on gambiling. He was protecting her from seeing that worst in him because he had a fear of losing her, "Janie, Ah wanted tuh, mighty much, but Ah was skeered. Too skeered Ah might lose yuh" (Hurston 118). ~Leena~ I disagree. Go figure since i’m the one that wrote that Tea Cake sets Janie free. I agree with you Sarah in that it seems Tea Cake sets Janie on a pedastal however it is clearly because he considers Janie to be better than him. He knows what Janie had with Jody (meaning in a material sense) and he knows that he has no means of competing with that. He doesn’t want to expose Janie to a world based on gambiling. He was protecting her from seeing that worst in him because he had a fear of losing her, “Janie, Ah wanted tuh, mighty much, but Ah was skeered. Too skeered Ah might lose yuh” (Hurston 118). ~Leena~

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-76 hurston Sun, 27 Nov 2005 23:33:07 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-76 I think Janie is simply smitten by Tea Cake for their relationship differs in many ways from hers with Jody. Janie actually finds herself happy and she knows that she can do whatever she pleases and Tea Cake will not stop her. I think this also plays into her age, which might in some way intimidate Tea Cake. He doesn't want to upset Janie, but he is also much younger than her and still learning about life. The decisions he makes, like taking her money and spending it on a big get-together, show that he does not think maturely. To make up for his actions, he promises that “Ah need no assistance tuh help me feed mah woman. From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same" (122). This can show that he wants to take over the "manly" position in the relationship, but at the same time, it didn't hurt his pride to use up all her money. At this point, I am still not sure what to think of Tea Cake. Emily Ward I think Janie is simply smitten by Tea Cake for their relationship differs in many ways from hers with Jody. Janie actually finds herself happy and she knows that she can do whatever she pleases and Tea Cake will not stop her. I think this also plays into her age, which might in some way intimidate Tea Cake. He doesn’t want to upset Janie, but he is also much younger than her and still learning about life. The decisions he makes, like taking her money and spending it on a big get-together, show that he does not think maturely. To make up for his actions, he promises that “Ah need no assistance tuh help me feed mah woman. From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same” (122). This can show that he wants to take over the “manly” position in the relationship, but at the same time, it didn’t hurt his pride to use up all her money. At this point, I am still not sure what to think of Tea Cake.

Emily Ward

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-66 hurston Sun, 27 Nov 2005 17:17:50 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-66 In response to Emily's comment of what is Janie going to do after Tea Cake dies- I think that she will have to learn to find happiness by herself. She returns home alone, so she obviously does not fill the void with another man. She must have finally found a way to live and be happy with herself and that she does not need another person to help her. I also agree that if she is married, she will never be free. I think that she likes some kind of control because she seems to like that he asks her to dress in blue, which was said earlier. I like the new relationship that Janie has with Tea Cake because he gives her attention through her slight control, and she seems to enjoy it and is not feeling burdened by him. -Cassie In response to Emily’s comment of what is Janie going to do after Tea Cake dies- I think that she will have to learn to find happiness by herself. She returns home alone, so she obviously does not fill the void with another man. She must have finally found a way to live and be happy with herself and that she does not need another person to help her.
I also agree that if she is married, she will never be free. I think that she likes some kind of control because she seems to like that he asks her to dress in blue, which was said earlier.
I like the new relationship that Janie has with Tea Cake because he gives her attention through her slight control, and she seems to enjoy it and is not feeling burdened by him.

-Cassie

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-62 hurston Sat, 26 Nov 2005 17:27:10 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-62 I agree with Nicole. Tea Cake does not provide absolute power for Janie. That is not something that she can achieve through another person. For Janie to have absolute freedom she needs to find herself and not rely on another person to fulfill her needs in life. To me Janie's flaw is just that. ALl her happiness has been based upon other people. And when she is unhappy it is because she does not have soemone making her happy. Janie needs to find someone to make herself happy on her own. Because we all know that Tea Cake dies in the end, so what is Janie going to do after that when the source of her happiness is gone? EMILY DESTEFANO I agree with Nicole. Tea Cake does not provide absolute power for Janie. That is not something that she can achieve through another person. For Janie to have absolute freedom she needs to find herself and not rely on another person to fulfill her needs in life. To me Janie’s flaw is just that. ALl her happiness has been based upon other people. And when she is unhappy it is because she does not have soemone making her happy. Janie needs to find someone to make herself happy on her own. Because we all know that Tea Cake dies in the end, so what is Janie going to do after that when the source of her happiness is gone?

EMILY DESTEFANO

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-60 hurston Sat, 26 Nov 2005 02:47:17 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-60 <p>To answer Sarah-Claire's question, I don't think Tea Cake sets Janie completely free, because, as Nicole said, she will always be tied down in some way as long as she is married to a man, no matter who he is. But, I think Tea Cake gives Janie much more freedom and the attention that she needs; he does not hold her down forcefully as Logan and Jody had when she was with them. I think your example of Janie wearing blue because Tea Cake wants her to is a valid point concerning him controlling Janie, but I don't particularly think of this as a bad thing. At the beginning of chapter 12, Janie says, "Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain't never in his life picked out no color for me"(Hurston 107). I think Janie sees this as Tea Cake's love for her, not his control over her. Janie is such a strong woman that I believe if she thought of this notion as controlling she wouldn't be wearing blue. She has already experienced that kind of pain through Logan and Jody and would know bad treatment if she saw it. Overall though, I believe Janie will never be completely free as long as she's married, but Tea Cake will definitely bring her closer to a better understanding of herself. </p><p>-Lauren</p> To answer Sarah-Claire’s question, I don’t think Tea Cake sets Janie completely free, because, as Nicole said, she will always be tied down in some way as long as she is married to a man, no matter who he is. But, I think Tea Cake gives Janie much more freedom and the attention that she needs; he does not hold her down forcefully as Logan and Jody had when she was with them. I think your example of Janie wearing blue because Tea Cake wants her to is a valid point concerning him controlling Janie, but I don’t particularly think of this as a bad thing. At the beginning of chapter 12, Janie says, “Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain’t never in his life picked out no color for me”(Hurston 107). I think Janie sees this as Tea Cake’s love for her, not his control over her. Janie is such a strong woman that I believe if she thought of this notion as controlling she wouldn’t be wearing blue. She has already experienced that kind of pain through Logan and Jody and would know bad treatment if she saw it. Overall though, I believe Janie will never be completely free as long as she’s married, but Tea Cake will definitely bring her closer to a better understanding of herself.

-Lauren

]]> By: hurston http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-56 hurston Fri, 25 Nov 2005 14:12:31 +0000 http://hurston.learnerblogs.org/2005/11/24/tea-cake-and-janie-in-chs-12-150/#comment-56 <p>I don't think Tea Cake has exactly set Janie free but she now has more freedoms than when she was with Joe or Logan. Robert E. Hemenway agrees, "Tea Cake is not the means to self-understanding, only the partner of Janie's liberation from an empty way of living" (Hemenway). Janie will never be completely free if she is married to whoever. Seen in Chapter 15, "Janie learned what it felt like to be jealous" (Oates 130). In this chapter Tea Cake and Nunkie play around and Janie is hurt by all the attention Tea Cake gives her. Janie knew Tea Cake never loved Nunkie, but "she wanted to hear his denail. She had to crow over the fallen Nunke" (Oates 132). This shows the trust and faith Janie has in Tea Cake because she knew he would never cheat on her. Overall, Tea Cake cannot provide abosulte freedom for Janie but he can lead her to a more defined understanding of herself.</p><p>-Nicole Leva</p> I don’t think Tea Cake has exactly set Janie free but she now has more freedoms than when she was with Joe or Logan. Robert E. Hemenway agrees, “Tea Cake is not the means to self-understanding, only the partner of Janie’s liberation from an empty way of living” (Hemenway). Janie will never be completely free if she is married to whoever. Seen in Chapter 15, “Janie learned what it felt like to be jealous” (Oates 130). In this chapter Tea Cake and Nunkie play around and Janie is hurt by all the attention Tea Cake gives her. Janie knew Tea Cake never loved Nunkie, but “she wanted to hear his denail. She had to crow over the fallen Nunke” (Oates 132). This shows the trust and faith Janie has in Tea Cake because she knew he would never cheat on her. Overall, Tea Cake cannot provide abosulte freedom for Janie but he can lead her to a more defined understanding of herself.

-Nicole Leva

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