Their Eyes Were Watching God: Comprehension and Analysis Blog

   hurston

November 27, 2005 @ 11:57 pm

I disagree i think that Janie’s silence is still her greatest weakness. I understand that she loves Tea Cake but one would think that after the growth that she undergoes she would be able to defend herself. She had commited no wrong for Tea Cake to beat her like that.
“Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss” (Hurston 140). I think that Janie too posses a fear of losing Tea Cake. Janie is very insecure in her position as Tea Cake’s wife. For example, in chapter 16 she thinks that Tea Cake wants to “quit” her and be with Nukie. I think that her silence is her assurence to Tea Cake that she is the wife that she is looking for. That he need not worry because no matter what he does to her she will always be there. That indeed is a great weakness in Janie.
-Leena-

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 1:38 am

I thought this part of the story was very interesting. For the first time in Their Eyes we see Tea Cake exhibiting qualities that in the past Janie has run from. Jody always felt the need to show Janie who was the boss. To push her around, to verbally abuse and embarass her. Tea Cake from this scene can be seen as having some of the same suppressing qualities that Janies previous husbands had, Shawn E. Miller agrees: Strangely, in her third marriage, Janie offers no resistance to Teak Cake’s commans, which are often as patriarchal as those of Killicks and Starks; in fact, we usuallyt see Janie in absolute submission to him” (7). When Tea Cake wants to move from one place to another Janie moves with him, when Tea Cake tells Janie what to wear, she wears it, and when Tea Cake slaps Janie around she takes it. It is interesting to see some of the flaws and the common views that the men in Janie’s life have all shared.

EMILY DESTEFANO

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 3:22 am

I agree with what Leena and Emily are saying. It seems like Janie’s silence is an important part to the story, because it comes up a few times. It shows Janie’s weakness, because by sitting in silence it shows the men of her life that she can be controlled easily, as well as be told what to do. This of course is not the way Janie wishes to live her life. She is looking for her own freedom and the ability to make her own decisons. If only Janie would stand up for herself and tell these men what she wanted, then maybe she would be able to live life the way she wants to. Of course her silence gets in the way, making it her weakness.
I also though it was interesting, like Emily said here Tea Cake shows glimpses of being the dominant one in the relationship, and having to be the one in control. And this being the reason for Janie not enjoying her life with her previous two husbands, they were to controling and didn’t let Janie make any decisions on her own. So it was interesting to see Tea Cake take these actions, since it seemed like he was totally different then all the other men in Janie’s life.

-Hunter Woron

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 3:39 am

I agree with Leena. I think Janie could have used Tea Cake’s beating as an oppurtunity to assert herself more. Of course, she doesn’t. To me, Janie’s silence shows lack of courage. On the other hand, it may have been good that Janie didn’t say anything because the whole incident made both tea Cake and Janie gain the admiration of the people of the muck: “The way he petted and pampered her as if those two or three face slaps had nearly killed her made the women see visions and the helpless way she hung on him made the men dream dreams” (Hurston 140). Silence can be a very powerful thng when used correctly, and has the power to help or hinder one’s relationships with others. In this particluar case, however, I think it hindered Tea Cake and Janie’s relationship, and that’s more important than what everyone out on the muck thinks.
~Sarah-Claire
oh and its a Day 1 tomorrow, Chris

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 11:33 pm

I, along with everyone else who posted, was also struck by Janie’s silence and the way she let Tea Cake beat her in chapter 17. It was disheartening that Janie let this go on, even though it was described as not that harsh. I agree with Leena that it showed weakness on Janie’s part, especially since the narrator says it was “not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him” (Hurston 140). There really was no prominent reason for Tea Cake to do such a thing. I also agree with Leena’s point about Janie being just as insecure with the relationship as Tea Cake is, and I believe that is one of the reasons for her silence. I don’t think she was as secure with her beliefs at that point in the story as she had been when she stood up to previous husbands. The reason for this I think might have been because she knows that Tea Cake is the right man for her, and she did not want to do anything that could jeopardize their relationship. While there were surprising actions on both parts, I don’t think it will happen again, and I believe their relationship status is secure again.
-Lauren

   hurston

November 29, 2005 @ 1:31 am

I disagree with Leena and her statement that Janie’s silence is her greatest weakness. Yes, this scene is very important and it does portray Janie’s and Tea Cakes relationship in a new light, but I agree with Chris. Since Jody’s death, Janie has developed her own voice and freedom. When Tea Cake beats her the reader observes Janie’s ablity to control her new voice. She loves Tea Cake more than both her two husbands combined and realizes that Tea Cake beating her is just his way of showing others his dominance. Although Janie acts towards the beating as she would have with her other two husbands she stays silent out of love and confidence in the fact that Tea Cake, being much younger than her and never having to experionse this situation before, will see the error of his actions. Janie is correct with her assumation and after the beating occurance all Tea Cake can do is adore her and love her even more. I agree with Lauren’s last thought and would find it out of character for Tea Cake to beat Janie again after seeing the errors of his actions the first time.

-Monica

   hurston

November 29, 2005 @ 2:09 am

I would have to say that Tea Cake’s abusive behavior towards Janie is out of insecurity. Tea Cake sees Mrs. Turner’s brother as a threat which shows that he is not confident with his relationship with Janie and, therefore, does not completely trust her. Beating Janie not only shows the townspeople that Tea Cake is in control, but it also assures Tea Cake that he dominates Janie and holds her affection. There is something about Tea Cake that I have found flaky, and for that I don’t think his actions are truly justified.

Emily Ward

   hurston

November 29, 2005 @ 2:50 am

As Chapter 17 begins, Janie’s silence somewhat takes the by surprise. It appears as if Janie is taking everything she worked so hard for in her life and slowly letting it all slip away. It is very uncharacteristic of Janie to let Tea Cake simply slap her around. Tea Cake has humiliated her in a similar fashion that Jody did. As mentioned by those who have posted ahead of me, I believe that insecurity is a hufe part of the problems in the relationship. Leen mentioned that Janie was just as insecure as Tea Cake. I believe she has just reasoning to feel insecure. After all, she has gone through some tough relationships in the past and realizes that there is always the potential for something tragic to happen, and all dreams to shatter instantly. However, if Tea Cake is insecure about keeping Janie, he should know by now that beating her is going about it the wrong way. Hurston writes, “Being able to whip her reassured him of his possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss,” (140). This is pretty much the opposite of what Janie wants. As she stated in the past, she wants to be treated as an equal, not have somebody boss her around. If Tea Cake isn’t careful, his insecurities could get the best of him.

Chris DeBellis

   al the great

April 26, 2006 @ 12:43 am

anybody know any themes from chapter 17? i need 5 of them.

   Spenca Johnson

May 8, 2006 @ 6:09 pm

yeah i think that she is silent because she cant really talk, maybe her voice is hoarse, but idk

   Hunter Smith

May 8, 2006 @ 6:10 pm

spenca j…. r u… serious?

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May 8, 2006 @ 6:10 pm

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