Our Eyes Were Watching God Test

"Ships at a distance... truth" (1)

According to Hurston, men are more practical than women; they know that their dreams are unattainable, as illustrated by the distant ships that rarely come to shore. When they realize that their dreams are unrealistic, men become resigned to their fates and live on. On the other hand, women close that metaphorical distance by failing to distinguish between dream and reality. Their dreams are their reality and thus, they live far more idealistic lives. Also, dreams at this time are a lot more attainable so the men in the novel can simply move on but the women have no real hope to hold onto because their dreams are seemingly unattainable, but despite this, to deal with the trauma and dehumanization and pain woman were subjected to during this time period, this idea of a dream that could be attainable keeps the women in the novel holding on to their dreams. They cannot distinguish between dream and reality because it is their way of coping with the discrimination occurring in the 20th century. Specifically, the Civil War Era. Janie's grandmother was held down by slavery and didn't have much of her voice, she dreamed of preaching on a pulpit for women but had to adjust and dreamed for Janie to simply have a better life than she or her mother had, even though her trauma prevented her from doing so herself, she still held on to a possibility of a better life for her granddaughter if not her or her daughter, or even African-American women in general.

"After a while ... waiting for the world to be made" (11)

After a while she got up from where she was and went over the little garden field entire. She was seeking confirmation of the voice and vision, and everywhere she found and acknowledged answers. A personal answer for all other creations except herself. She felt an answer seeking her, but where? When? How? She found herself at the kitchen door and stumbled inside. In the air of the room were flies tumbling and singing, marrying and giving in marriage. When she reached the narrow hallway she was reminded that her grandmother was home with a sick headache. She was lying across the bed asleep so Janie tipped on out of the front door. Oh to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her. Where were the singing bees for her? Nothing on the place nor in her grandma's house answered her. She searched as much of the world as she could form the top of the front steps and then went on down to the front gate and leaned over to gaze up and down the rod. Looking, waiting, breathing short with impatience. Waiting for the world to be made. (2.15) Janie's initiation into the sexual world via her experience under the pear tree makes her yearn for her own sexual realization, her own true love. She compares herself to the pear tree, having "glossy leaves and bursting buds" and seeking her own "singing bees." For Janie, on the brink of womanhood, she expects love and sexuality to come hand in hand. Which unfortunately isn't what happens. Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean. That was before the golden dust of pollen had beglamored his rags and her eyes. In the last stages of Nanny's sleep, she dreamed of voices. Voices far-off but persistent, and gradually coming nearer. Janie's voice. Janie talking in whispery snatches with a male voice she couldn't quite place. That brought her wide awake. She bolted upright and peered out of the window and saw Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a kiss. (2.16-17) The experience that the naïve Janie attempts to make her first expression of love Nanny abhors and turns into something to be ashamed of. She sees her Janie acting rashly out of teenage lust and fears for her safety among equally lusty and less scrupulous men. Thus, she interprets Johnny Taylor's kiss as a laceration—something meant to hurt and humiliate Janie. To Nanny, sexuality is a dangerous thing.

"All night now ... skin like ants" (131)

All night now the jooks clanged and clamored. Pianos living three lifetimes in one. Blues made and used right on the spot. Dancing, fighting, singing, crying, laughing, winning and losing love every hour. Work all day for money, fight all night for love. The rich black earth clinging to bodies and biting the skin like ants. (14.15-16) Hurston gives a rich description of the migrant workers pouring into work during the harvest season. These are the lowest of the lower classes, so poor that some walk all the way to the Everglades to do their jobs. Such a wretched group of people would be expected to be miserable, but instead, they are vibrant with life - playing in the jook houses and pianos for fun at night, their music and dancing ringing in the night as they live it up. Hurston clearly seems to be saying that the rich have stale lives, but the poor really know how to live. Is Hurston romanticizing the life of the lower classes or is it accurate?

"Anyone who looked more white folkish... real gods require blood" (145)

Anyone who looked more white folkish than herself [Mrs. Turner] was better than she was in her criteria, therefore it was right that they should be cruel to her at times, just as she was cruel to those more negroid than herself in direct ratio to their negroness. Like the pecking-order in a chicken yard. Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can't. Once having set up her idols and built altars to them it was inevitable that she would worship there. It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity as all good worshippers do from theirs. All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood. (16.43) Mrs. Turner links race to class. The whiter one is, the classier he or she is. Mrs. Turner takes it to such an extreme level that she considers white people so socially superior that they are gods. She worships them for their inherent superiority to her and wishes with all her might that she could be initiated as a fully white woman, so she could be accepted into their divine social class.

Why is adherence to received tradition so important to nearly all the people in Janie's world? How does the community deal with those who are "different"?

Community traditions were just beginning to be formed in cities like Eatonville during the time this novel was written since prior to the establishment of predominantly Black cities and towns, the only traditions that Black people were able to engage in were those sanctioned by either a white dominated society or, even further back in history, by slave masters. Hence, tradition becomes enormously important and when those established traditions are created in reaction to trauma, they are often even more firmly rooted. When we see anyone diverging from the community, this is a bad thing. Evidenced by Janie's return to Eatonville, she is wearing overalls and has her hair down - both of which are seen as direct contradictions to the established views of women in the community. This garners gossip and speculation about the scandal that Janie was involved in as well as creates a dialogue that Janie must adhere to, especially in her position as Mrs. Mayor Starks.

"Poor Joe! ... opened up the window" (87)

Even when Joe dies unrepentant for all the wrongs he has committed against Janie, she pities him. Where most people would rejoice at Joe's death, Janie actually shows regret. She wishes that she had known how to treat him better while he was alive. This is rather ironic since Joe voiced no regrets about how he had treated her. This reveals the sheer depth of Janie's compassion and willingness to forgive, a characteristic that makes her almost Christ-like.

Racial Hierarchy

Despite its references to race, racism is not the central theme of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Instead, Hurston weaves race and racism into the society and culture in which Janie lives, but chooses to focus more on Janie's life experiences as a human being than as a black woman. In some ways, by not exclusively or predominantly focusing on race, the novel can portray race and racism in the American South in the early 20th century with great complexity. Janie's unusual and beautiful appearance as a fair-skinned (¼ white) black woman living in the black American South sparks attention from the various communities she encounters throughout the novel, some of which are marked by racist attitudes. For instance, the character of Mrs. Turner presents a highly complicated instance of racism, as Mrs. Turner is a black woman who is nonetheless extremely racist against blacks, particularly darker-skinned blacks. Mrs. Turner scorns Janie's relationship with Tea Cake and repeatedly begs Janie to date her light-skinned brother. Given her identity as a black woman, Mrs. Turner's racism against blacks indicates that race is not a marker of real difference. Those who espouse superiority of one kind over another can find any pretext, any trait, to base those assertions on. Racism in the novel can be understood, then, as a set of rather ridiculous prejudices that exist in society, not a universal or stable system based on truth, which in turn makes its brutal effects (such as slavery in general and the rape of Nanny and its aftermath), particularly devastating.

How important is Hurston's use of vernacular dialect to our understanding of Janie and the other characters and their way of life? What do speech patterns reveal about the quality of these lives and the nature of these communities? In what ways are "their tongues cocked and loaded, the only real weapon" of these people?

Dialect is essential to painting Janie as a full character. Hurston, as an anthropologist, was well attuned to the vernacular used by Black people in the South. The uses of these speech patterns reveals an authentic portrait of southern life and of the manner in which Black people spoke. Moreover, it reveals the importance of voice and authentic voice. For Janie, when she is able to speak, she is able to not only become a member of the community, but heal from the trauma of her past experiences. While many critics have argued that Hurston's use of dialect makes her writing "cheap" or "dumbed down," it is in essence an embodiment of Black culture. Many critics have often attempted to delegitimize Black folk tradition and the use of vernacular dialect, but instead, we must question the historical hierarchy that has attempted to suppress Black voices and Black arts from the moment of emancipation. The weapon here is that using one's voice is powerful - for Janie, it allows her not only to speak her mind, but it potentially exonerates her from a crime and it also heals her.

The use of the n-word

Dialect is essential to painting Janie as a full character. Hurston, as an anthropologist, was well attuned to the vernacular used by Black people in the South. The uses of these speech patterns reveals an authentic portrait of southern life and of the manner in which Black people spoke. Moreover, it reveals the importance of voice and authentic voice. For Janie, when she is able to speak, she is able to not only become a member of the community, but heal from the trauma of her past experiences. While many critics have argued that Hurston's use of dialect makes her writing "cheap" or "dumbed down," it is in essence an embodiment of Black culture. Many critics have often attempted to delegitimize Black folk tradition and the use of vernacular dialect, but instead, we must question the historical hierarchy that has attempted to suppress Black voices and Black arts from the moment of emancipation. The weapon here is that using one's voice is powerful - for Janie, it allows her not only to speak her mind, but it potentially exonerates her from a crime and it also heals her.

"She didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop" (76)

Emphasizing the idea of formal education versus instinctively or naturally obtained knowledge. She didn't need further education to understand good and evil and morals.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a literary device used to predict future events. It is often used in poetry, short stories, movies, and novels. One particular novel it is used in is "Their Eyes Were Watching God." The author, Zora Neale Hurston, uses foreshadowing in many different ways. Zora uses foreshadowing to move the plot forward and develop the reader's interest. Foreshadowing events include Janie's poetic use of speech, the questions and remarks of the townspeople, the pear tree, the mule, and Janie's remark about Tea Cake. These are all excellent examples of foreshadowing. Chapter one of this novel introduces a very significant piece of foreshadowing. These couple of lines state, "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever in the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time. That is the life of men. Now women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (Hurston 1) This first passage is foreshadowing Janie's whole life. Janie made it her life's purpose to find independence, contentment, and true love. Throughout the story Janie was very proactive in accomplishing these dreams. The last sentence in the second paragraph explains that women, specifically Janie, will persistently follow their dreams no matter what the cost. It sates, "Then they act and do things accordingly." Janie makes it clear throughout the story that she is a woman who acts. The gossiping townspeople also offer foreshadowing early in the story. These locals began to talk about Janie as she walked by. They said things like, "Where all dat money her husband took and died and left her?"-"What dat ole' omen doin' wid her hair swingin' down her back lak some young gal?"-"Where she left dat young lad of a boy she went off here wid?" (2) All of these comments made about Janie offer foreshadowing to future events. The first question, "Where all dat money her husband took and died and left her?," foreshadows the death of Janie's second husband, Jody. The second question, "What dat ole" oman doin' wid her hair swingin down her back lak some young gal?", foreshadows a significant symbol in the story which is Janie's hair. Janie's hair signified her independence. The third question, "Where she left dat young lad of a boy she went off here wid?", foreshadows Janie's relationship with someone younger than her, which was exactly what happened later in the story. The pear tree foreshadows Janie's life. When she was young Janie would spend much of her time under a pear tree. The book explained, "She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under that tree for the last three days." (10) Janie observed the relationship between the blossom and the bee, "She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of the bloom: the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to the tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was marriage!" (11) These lines foreshadow Janie's life by revealing her deep desire for love and affection. Her desires are seen in the book time and time again through her relationships. The town mule was a significant foreshadowing tool. It was used to predict the death of Janie's second husband, Jody. The events centered around both deaths are quite similar. After the mule's funeral, a flock of buzzards began gathering around the mule. The text explained, "As soon as the crowd was out of sight they closed in circles. The near ones got nearer and the far ones got near. A circle, a swoop and a hop with spread out wings." (61) This was very similar to Jody's situation. When people found out that Jody was sick, they began to come closer to the house and wait, "People who would not have dared to foot the place before crept in and did not come to the house. Just squatted under the trees and waited. Rumor that wingless bird had shadowed over the town." (84) Just like how the buzzards circled the mule, the townspeople circled around Jody's house. This is a powerful example of foreshadowing. One of the most important lines in this novel is, "Doctor, Ah loves him fit tuh kill." This line foreshadows the death of Tea Cake. At the end of the book, Janie is faced with a tough decision. Being mentally unstable, Tea Cake threatens to shoot Janie. Janie either has to let Tea Cake shoot her, or defend herself. Janie chooses to defend herself and kill Tea Cake as it was implied in the passage. She really was 'fit tuh kill.' Throughout the story, foreshadowing is used in many different ways. The poetic language and objects like the pear tree and mule were used to foreshadow the main plot. This poetry device was used to build reader's interest and develop the story in an interesting way. Foreshadowing truly is a key element in "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

"Her old thoughts ... fit them" (32)

From now on until death she was going to have flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything. A bee for her bloom. Her old thoughts were going to come in handy now, but new words would have to be made and said to fit them. (4.59) Janie sees this moment of abandoning Logan and eloping with Joe as a moment of rebirth. This rebirth requires coining of "new words" so that Janie never has to be tied down by language referring back to her unhappy times with Logan and Nanny.

"Here was peace ... her soul to come and see" (193)

Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see. (20.12) Both Janie's innocence and maturity are represented here in the image of the horizon. As an innocent child, Janie always chased her horizons. Here at the end, she has both worshipped her horizons from afar and traveled them so she has the capacity to "pull it from around the waist of the world and drape it over her shoulder," without complete ignorance but also without cynicism. Now she can just marvel and cherish all the life snared in its meshes and relive her many full memories.

"Janie full of that oldest human longing - self-revelation" (7)

Here, Hurston points out that it is natural for people not only to be curious but to want to talk about themselves. The "oldest human longing" - according to Hurston - is the desire to tell your story to eager ears, to garner sympathy from others, and to connect to other human beings through words. This is important because after escaping from her abusive relationships, she finally has a voice and is able to tell her story, to be apart of the community, which truly shows the independence she had gained at the end of the novel.

"He looked like the love thoughts of women ... He was a glance from God" (106)

Hurston writes,"She thought resisting thoughts about Tea Cake. She even ridiculed him in her mind and was a little ashamed of the association. But every hour or two the battle had to be fought all over again. She couldn't make him look just like any other man to her. He looked like the love thoughts of women... He was a glance from God." (106). Janie couldn't help but think about Tea Cake and the way he treated her. From the past week of them hanging out, talking to one another,and going on mini adventures she felt a sense of passion towards him but wanted to deny it because in her mind he wouldn't want someone as old as her.

In what ways does Janie conform to or diverge from the assumptions that underlie the men's attitudes toward women? How would you explain Hurston's depiction of violence toward women?

In the early parts of the book, Janie really adheres to men's attitudes towards women. Particularly, she sees love as a physical relationship - evidenced by her dreams under the pear tree. And as she moves into her first marriage, since Logan disgusts her, we understand that Janie wants her marriage involve physical love. When she does not attain this, and when she first encounters Joe, we notice that Janie runs to the water pump and her hair falls down. Her hair is a symbol of her sexuality, and she wears in down at several different points in the novel, most notably after Joe dies and she proceeds to burn all of her head scarves. However, in her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie does several things that do not adhere with the cult of true womanhood - she begins by tending to the house down in the Everglades but eventually joins Tea Cake to work in fields. She learns to shoot and eventually becomes a better marksman than Tea Cake. However, Hurston's depictions of violence toward women make it so that these moments where Janie is able to diverge from the expectations of women will always be suppressed. Janie is assigned to her role and made to be submissive as a result of this domestic violence.

"Once upon uh time ... we come through together" (167)

Janie thought that she would die from standing still so long and doing anything with Tea Cake would be better than that. This shows the trauma Janie went through to consider dying a more worthy cause then staying where she was without a voice.

"Dat's just de same 'cause mah tongue is in mah friend's mouf" (6)

Janie trusts Pheoby enough to repeat what she says faithfully to the porch gossips. This idea of linguistic integrity perhaps bolsters readers' trust in Janie when she starts retelling her story, because it is obvious she values truth.

"Honey, since you loose me ... but 'twon't be long befo' you see me" (125)

Once Tea Cake enters the narrative his name and his voice are heard nearly twice often as Janie's. After saying this, from then on it is Tea Cake's tale. , the only reason for Janie's account of her life to Pheoby being to vindicate Tea Cake's name. This quote also showcases Tea Cakes irresponsibility and lack of sympathy for Janie's feelings because he treats her as all her other husbands have treated her, telling her that he is very skilled at gambling (irresponsibility) and that the tough men's talk is no place for her to be, once again excluding her from the community.

Hair

In the early parts of the book, Janie really adheres to men's attitudes towards women. Particularly, she sees love as a physical relationship - evidenced by her dreams under the pear tree. And as she moves into her first marriage, since Logan disgusts her, we understand that Janie wants her marriage involve physical love. When she does not attain this, and when she first encounters Joe, we notice that Janie runs to the water pump and her hair falls down. Her hair is a symbol of her sexuality, and she wears in down at several different points in the novel, most notably after Joe dies and she proceeds to burn all of her head scarves. However, in her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie does several things that do not adhere with the cult of true womanhood - she begins by tending to the house down in the Everglades but eventually joins Tea Cake to work in fields. She learns to shoot and eventually becomes a better marksman than Tea Cake. However, Hurston's depictions of violence toward women make it so that these moments where Janie is able to diverge from the expectations of women will always be suppressed. Janie is assigned to her role and made to be submissive as a result of this domestic violence. 2. Janie's hair is a recurrent and powerful motif. It has a potent effect on almost every character that Hurston introduces. In texture and appearance, Janie's hair is Caucasian: it reflects her white father and grandfather. Janie's hair is a concrete representation of several ideas or themes, all interrelated. The dominant impression that the hair gives is that of power or possession. Connected to this, Janie's hair figures largely in depictions of sexual relationships or even sexual attraction. Descriptions of Janie's hair illustrate her relationships with each of her husbands. Joe Starks, who is jealous and possessive, cannot bear the thought of other men enjoying the sight of her long, beautiful hair. He forces her to keep it tied up in a kerchief. Janie's reluctance to do so indicates her desire to be loved and accepted by the community as who she is--all aspects of her personality included--rather than as who different individuals want her to be. Janie's hair makes an appearance both in the opening scene and in the conclusion of the novel. It is the distinguishing characteristic that helps the porch sitters to recognize her as she returns to the city. And after Janie reaches the end of her story--and the end of the novel--she goes upstairs to bed. "She closed in and sat down. Combing road-dust out of her hair. Thinking..." (p 192)

"Six eyes were questioning God" (159)

It means that Tea Cake, Janie, and Motor Boat were the six eyes. They were "watching God", which basically meant they were waiting and asking God for help and they were watching what God was going to do next with the storm. They were looking to him for help.

"She cut him short with a blow" (137)

It represents how different her relationship with Tea Cake is from her previous ones. Instead of being hit, she hits back. This is Janie trying to fight back from being silenced for so long. She is angry with Tea Cake because she thinks that he is involved with another woman. Although Janie is still a woman, considered the "weaker" sex, she still has power over Tea Cake in terms of the social hierarchy, her age. In relationships with older men, Janie had no sense of superiority and was continuously beaten down, in her relationship with Tea Cake, she feels a sense of power that she didn't have before.

"Before the week was over ... men dream dreams" (147)

It shows the dehumanization of Janie and less specifically, women during this time period. Tea Cake did not whip Janie because she did something but because he wanted to show another man who was boss. He wanted to show possession of Janie. The fact that other men dreamed of how she still clung to him and the women envied how "lightly" he hit her shows the sexism and power dynamic of the time period.

"Pheoby's hungry listening helped Janie to tell her story" (10)

Janie and Pheoby need each other, Pheoby needs to hear Janie's story as much as Janie needs to tell it, the oldest human longing. Janie telling her story of searching for her horizon perhaps helps Pheoby in her pursuit of her own horizon.

Pear Tree

Janie has her first experience of sexual awakening under the blooming pear tree in spring, just before her first kiss with Johnny Taylor. Throughout the novel, the pear tree symbolizes for Janie the feeling she experienced directly while sitting beneath it - the sense of possibility in life for a connection between the self and the natural world, and the feelings of sexual desire and love. Thus when looking at the sexualized imagery of the pear tree blossoms, Janie declares, "So this was a marriage!" Janie's conflation between sexual desire and marriage is an idea that is eventually debunked for Janie by her experiences with Jody, but is reinvigorated when she meets Tea Cake and finds that her marriage to him allows room for both sexual fulfillment and love. It is for this reason that Janie feels she has finally reached the horizon. 2. One of the most obvious symbols used in the novel, and charged with sexuality, the pear tree motif is introduced early in Janie's story. As a sixteen-year-old girl, lying beneath a pear tree in the spring, she watches a bee gathering pollen from a pear blossom. The experience becomes a symbol to Janie of the ideal relationship, one in which passion does not result in possession or domination, but rather in an effortless union of individuals. As the story progresses, the blossom/pollen motif reappears frequently, illustrating the development of Janie's dream: Three months after Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks, she returns to Nanny in tears. "Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage, lak when you sit under a pear tree and think." (p 24) Her relationship with Logan disappoints Janie, and makes her vulnerable to the attractions of Joe Starks. Although he "did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees", Joe offers her the opportunity for a new life, one that she hopes will be better. Soon, however, Janie realises that "the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another...took the bloom off of things" (p 46). Janie becomes disillusioned and discouraged. "She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be." (p 72) After her husband's death, Janie meets Tea Cake, the fulfillment of her dream 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. He seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps." (p 106)

"Aw, aw! Ah'm colored!" (9)

Janie is a stranger to herself for six years, not knowing the true nature of her racial identity. It takes a reflection of herself - almost like looking in a mirror - to discover what color her skin is. She might not have believed that she was black otherwise, without having seen it with her own eyes. This realization comes as a shock to young Janie who has lived with white children all her life and believes she is one of them. Janie seems to define herself not so much by the color of her skin, but by the community she lives with.

"Janie saw her life ... branches" (8)

Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches. (2.1) When beginning her story, Janie's memories are shaped like a tree. This is appropriate because Janie's whole life has been in pursuit of her experience underneath her pear tree—an experience of love and life that she constantly seeks to replicate. Janie's tree of her memories and past, however, is quite different that the pear tree that symbolized what she hoped her life would be. The tree of her memories doesn't contain blossoms, but both suffering and joy. Looking back on her life, she sees that her dreams were more idealistic compared to what her life turned out to be.

The men noticed her firm buttocks like she had grape fruits in her hip pockets; the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume; then her pugnacious breasts trying to bore holes in her shirt. They, the men, were saving with the mind what they lost with the eye. The women took the faded shirt and muddy overalls and laid them away for remembrance. It was a weapon against her strength and if it turned out of no significance, still it was a hope that she might fall to their level some day. (1.8)

Janie's figure evokes two very different sets of responses from the porches. The men simply lust after her and try to memorize her appearance for later pleasure. The women, however, driven by jealousy, look for flaws and find them in Janie's unconventional and masculine dress, storing them up as ammunition to fire against her later.

Springtime

Janie's innocence, a time of new life.....hopes of love....

. How does Janie's journey--from West Florida, to Eatonville, to the Everglades--represent her, and the novel's increasing immersion in black culture and traditions? What elements of individual action and communal life characterize that immersion?

Janie's journey represents her because as she descends and immerses herself in black culture, she gains more of her voice. This is significant as she has often been revered in the community for her mixed race heritage, but as she immerses herself into black culture and traditions, she starts to not only participate in the community by listening, she is able to engage in conversation. Her interactions with the Bahamians seem more authentic than her interactions with the people of Eatonville. By being involved with the community, she is able to engage individually with the people of the community. When one is separated from the community, as we see in Janie's time in the store at Eatonville, they lose their ability to interact as an individual. In the case of Janie's return to Eatonville, now that she has interacted with the community of the Everglades, she has gained the sense of self - the self-actualization, to participate in the community of Eatonville.

The horizon

Janie's search for lifelong happiness, the realm of the possible, an unattainable goal - it represents dreams, and hope, and possibility. Possible explanations: 1. As Janie climbs the pear tree to see what exists around her, she sees the horizon. The horizon also plays a role at sundown, a time when the porch sitters sit outside at the end of a working day to watch the sun set. Janie wants to make a trip to the horizon, and her journey becomes a principal metaphor in the story. At sunrise, Janie travels down the road to the train station to meet and marry Tea Cake, hoping that this experience will take her to the horizon. The horizon is a symbol of Janie's lifelong search for happiness. At the end of the story, Pheoby is anxious to seek her own horizon with her husband, as a result of hearing Janie's story. 2. Janie invokes the symbol of the horizon repeatedly throughout the novel; to Janie, the horizon symbolizes the realm of the possible, that which she can dream about. During her arranged marriage with Logan Killicks, Janie remarks that the stylish and ambitious Jody Starks shows her a glimpse of the horizon, meaning that he provides her with a vision of what her life could be like. Though after Jody, too, turns out to treat Janie poorly and stifle her voice, it is Tea Cake who ultimately provides Janie with access to the horizon: in her marriage with Tea Cake, Janie is able to find love, sexual satisfaction, independence ,and self-expression all at once, that which she has always dreamed of. For that reason, even after Tea Cakes death, Janie feels that she still has and always will have access to the metaphorical horizon. Ms. Wrambels answer: We've certainly addressed this a few times in class. The horizon is always an unattainable goal - it represents dreams, and hope, and possibility. For the men in the novel, reaching the horizon, or towards their dreams, is much easier. As Janie gains knowledge and experience through her relationships, Janie is able to "broaden her horizons" and begin to dream about the life that she may be able to live. Remember, this novel can be considered a bildungsroman, or a coming of age story, and that when Janie moves through the novel, she goes from being an innocent or ignorant character to growing and "coming of age" through her experiences. However, she remarks several times about the horizon being out of her reach. In regards to chapter 9, Janie says, "Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon - for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you - and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her" (Hurston 89). In this instance, Janie believes that her dream, to have a loving and affectionate marriage, has been corrupted by Nanny and her previous trauma to believe that marriage should be based on security, not love. She is angry that her worldview is affected in this way and blames Nanny for influencing her negatively. At the end of the book, however, Janie says, "She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see" (193). For this quotation, now Janie is in control of her dreams. In personifying the horizon like a "fish-net," Hurston places Janie's future in her hands. Some critics argue that because Janie achieved her dream of having an affectionate relationship that she was able to reach her "horizon," but I would argue that instead, Janie is able to begin living her own life, free from these traumatic relationships, and that is the real horizon. 3. Closely related to the theme of dreams and wishes, and often mentioned in conjunction with the pear tree symbol, is the horizon. The horizon represents better things--the possibility of change and perhaps improvement. The horizon is mentioned in the opening paragraph of Their Eyes Were Watching God: "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men." (p 1) Janie's dream remains on the horizon for most of her life. She can wish and hope for better things, but she lives in reality that is very different. From the beginning, Janie's dreams are limited by her circumstances. Early in her life, "Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon--for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you--and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her." (p 89) At the end of the book, however, Janie has realized her dream. Her wish has "come in with the tide". Hurston writes that Janie "pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called her soul to come in and see." (p 193) Closely related to the horizon symbol is the road symbol. The two are frequently mentioned together. The road functions as a bridge between Janie's present circumstances and the horizon. The different stages of Janie's life--the different stages in the realization of her dream--are marked by travel from one place to another.

Joe Starks

Joe Starks, often called Jody, is Janie's second husband and a born entrepreneur with a few good qualities. For one thing, he has magnetic charisma. And for another, he has...um... Actually, apart from his charisma, Joe Starks is kind of a jerkosaur. He suffers from an overdose of ambition, a lack of communication, a superiority complex, and uncontrollable jealousy over Janie. Joe's appearance is both indicative of his true nature and also subtly misleading. Janie is first attracted to Joe because of his suave, stylish looks—and who wouldn't be? Check him out: It was a cityfied, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn't belong in these parts. His coat was over his arm, but he didn't need it to represent his clothes. The shirt with the silk sleeveholders was dazzling enough for the world. He whistled, mopped his face and walked like he knew where he was going. He was a seal-brown color but he acted like Mr. Washburn or somebody like that to Janie. (4.14) Joe looks sharp. But, Janie learns that Joe's fashion sense is an outward manifestation of Joe's pride and confidence: he dresses better than those he considers his inferiors. His flamboyant peacocking also reveals his vanity. In fact, Joe's entire lifestyle revolves around his high esteem of his self and his manliness. Joe mixes conceptions of manhood with his right to power, wealth, and authority. He considers himself perfectly justified not only in building up the town but ruling it, deciding who can live there and whose opinion counts. His high-handed tyranny of Eatonville often has the inhabitants grumbling and comparing him to white slave masters. Joe resembles a white slave master in more than one way. He is well fed (read: he's a tad chubby), like the well-to-do bourgeois Caucasians. He also carries himself with all of the confidence and authority of a man sure to get what he wants. Though Janie initially admires these attributes in Joe, she quickly finds that too much of this good thing can quickly become stifling and pretentious. Joe's treatment of women also defines him; he acts like women are objects to be owned and ordered around by men. This treatment of women is a double-edged sword; Joe highly values Janie as a trophy wife—for her physical beauty and ability to arouse envy in other men—but simultaneously, he views her as completely in his possession: This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn't seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store. [...] She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others. (6.31) At first, Janie only knows that Joe values her. But, as she realizes that Joe values her as a possession rather than as a human being, she becomes emotionally distant. From Joe's standpoint, since Janie is a woman, she has no intelligence, voice, or autonomy and should be entitled to none. Though much of this concept is illustrated through his treatment of Janie, Joe also enforces this philosophy on other women as well. He's a total misogynist: [Joe:] "Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves." "Ah knows uh few things, and womenfolks thinks sometimes too!" "Aw naw they don't. They just think they's thinkin'. When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don't understand one." (6.180-182) From the beginning, Joe makes it known that he desires to be "a big voice." However, when he achieves a position of power, Joe takes it too far and, in Janie's eyes, becomes nothing but the big voice. With this voice, Joe makes his opinions loudly known, often silencing others' dissent and giving his words the force of law. As Joe ages, it's evident that speaking with the ruling tongue has taken a toll on the man—his body shuts down. In the end, Janie speaks out and lays out all of Joe's crimes to him on his deathbed. But, like the big voice he is, Joe refuses to listen and dies cursing Janie.

Hog

Joe feels inferiority, similar to a pig at his time of death, literally lying in his own filth because he feels as if in this state other people have power over him and power is equal to status. It depicts Janie gaining her voice back in an instance where for once, Joe is compared to an animal, similar to when Joe and the men of the community compared the women to animals and children.

Johnny Taylor

Johnny Taylor. Johnny Taylor is the first boy that Janie kisses. Nanny sees the kiss and tells Janie that she "is now a woman" and must get married to Logan Killicks rather than someone low-class like Johnny.

Logan Killicks

Logan Killicks is Janie's first husband. Yup, that's about it. We're only partially joking—very little of Logan's internal feelings are given, and he may strike you as a pretty one-dimensional character. But, this lack of characterizing information is appropriate given the emptiness and despair he symbolizes to Janie...and what little we know of Logan is less than pleasant. He's old and ugly—in sharp contrast to Janie's youthful beauty. Janie resents him for his asymmetrical face and for lacking the etiquette to wash his feet before coming to bed (fair enough): "His belly is too big too, now, and his toe-nails look lak mule foots. And 'tain't nothin' in de way of him washin' his feet every evenin' before he comes tuh bed. 'Tain't nothin' tuh hinder him 'cause Ah places de water for him. Ah'd ruther be shot wid tacks tan tuh turn over in de bed and stir up de air whilst he is in dere. He don't even never mention nothin' pretty." She began to cry. "Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think. Ah..." (3.26-28) If Janie represents beauty, Logan represents everything ugly there is—in terms of all the senses. In fact, Janie sees him as a "desecration" of her vision of true love, based on her experience underneath the blossoming pear tree. He represents the antithesis of her notion of love, and Janie goes into the marriage with skepticism veiled only by her naïve, young hope. Logan is also emotionally destitute. What little affection he shows Janie at the beginning of the marriage is described as "speaking in rhymes"—he's basically buttering her up with sweet nothings. After that, he only shows anger and frustration when Janie resists his attempts to command her: Six months back he had told her, "If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me 'bout choppin' no wood nohow. She'd grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten." So Janie had told him, "Ah'm just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git no dinner. 'Scuse mah freezolity, Mist' Killicks, but Ah don't mean to chop de first chip." (4.1-2) Logan seems to have the idea that marriage means dominating a woman and that women are objects for men to put to use. He also feels unappreciated by Janie because she doesn't worship him for making her the mistress of 60 acres of land. (Boo hoo, right?) However, Logan isn't an evil character—he's just a sullen guy with feet that smell like blue cheese. His ineptitude with words doesn't do justice to the thoughts swirling around in his grizzled head. When Janie threatens to leave him, Logan feels genuine fear...but because such fear is incited by a woman, he doesn't have the vocabulary with which to respond. So, instead of directly addressing the issue and possibly putting himself in a position of vulnerability, Logan instead tries to brush off Janie's threat and belittle it. As a result, Janie feels that he's insensitive and doesn't value her, so she leaves Logan to elope with Joe Starks. Hey, at least Joe Starks washes his nasty feet.

Voice (when it spoken and unspoken)

Ms. Wrambel's answer: This is the heart of my scholarly research. There are several moments in the text where Janie's voice is suppressed. First, Nanny suppresses Janie's voice and her articulations about her dreams for marriage by forcing her to marry Logan Killicks. Additionally, Logan suppresses Janie's voice through physical labor and force as well. Once Janie exerts her own voice in this relationship to discuss her dissatisfaction, she then takes action and leaves Logan to pursue Joe Starks. While we can consider this a positive movement forward, Janie's voice is once again silenced during her time at Eatonville. She is not allowed to participate in the conversations on the porch and moreover, when she does attempt to assert her voice, she is beaten by Joe as a result. It isn't until Joe is dying that Janie is able to once again use her voice to air her grievances against Joe. This is due in large part to the power dynamics in this relationship. When Joe has power, he asserts his dominant voice (from the moment of his introduction, he is described as having a "big voice"). However, when Joe is dying, and by describing himself as a "hog," he has dehumanized himself in such a way that Janie is able to feel powerful enough to use her voice. It is at this point that Joe dies and Janie has to "starch and iron her face" for the community to hide her joy at her newfound freedom. In her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie's voice is complicated. She is able to voice her concerns, her jealousies, her fears, but only to a point. And moreover, Tea Cake also physically abuses Janie in his attempts to show possession over her. When Janie is made into an object, she loses her agency, and thus, her ability to use her voice. At the conclusion of the book, when Janie is on trial for Tea Cake's murder, we as the audience read that Janie "just sat there and told and when she was through she hushed" (Hurston 187). The significance of this is that we do not see Janie's dialogue, she is not actually given the opportunity in the text to talk. And lastly, to address Pheoby's involvement - Janie is not actually telling her story, Pheoby is. Pheoby is our narrator and telling Janie's story as a third party witness to most of the action of the text. I argue that the reason for this is Janie's trauma prevents her from using her voice and it is Pheoby that serves as our witness. By telling this story, Pheoby is able to help Janie attempt to heal from this trauma so that she might be able to use her voice in the future and that is clear at the conclusion of the text.

Nanny

Nanny is Janie's grandmother and the only parent she's ever known. We have to give Nanny props: she loves Janie and raises the girl as best as she can. But, she's not 100 percent perfect: Nanny's hopes for Janie's future are skewed by her own traumatic experiences. Nanny herself lived through slavery and had a child (Janie's mother) by her white master. Horrific, right? But, here's the thing: although what the master did was awful, it was Nanny's reputation that was tarnished—she was seen only as an unmarried mom and not as the victim of a coercive, rapey relationship. And, to make matters worse, Nanny's daughter (Janie's mom) was raped, gave birth, and then became an alcoholic in order to dull the pain. As a result, Nanny has high hopes that Janie will marry and be a legitimate wife. And...that's it. That's the sum of her hopes for Janie. This goal seems to be the most important thing for Nanny, and in her quest to get Janie married to a suitable man, Nanny turns a blind eye to Janie's needs. Nanny's conception of freedom is one of middle-class values and financial stability. She can't achieve this goal in her lifetime, so she imposes it on Janie by making her marry a respected land-owning farmer. And this makes Janie miserable: [Nanny:] "Well, if he do all dat whut you come in heah wid uh face long as mah arm for?" "Cause you told me Ah wuz gointer love him, and, and Ah don't. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it." "You come heah wid yo' mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo' bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis' Killicks, and you come worryin' me 'bout love." (3.17-19) Nanny's love for Janie does not absolve her of her crime—forcing Janie into a loveless marriage and lying about how marriage leads to love. Janie condemns Nanny for this: She hated her grandmother and had hidden it from herself all these years under a cloak of pity. She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her. But she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after things. It was all according to the way you see things. Some people could look at a mud-puddle and see an ocean with ships. But Nanny belonged to that other kind that loved to deal in scraps. Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon—for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you—and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her. She hated the old woman who had twisted her so in the name of love. (9.4) By willingly deceiving Janie about the nature of love—simply to satisfy her desire to see Janie living a proud life—Nanny commits a crime that neither Janie nor God (it's implied) can forgive.

Janie

Not-So-Plain Jane Janie is our heroine, narrator, tour guide, and all-around hero. She's the lens through which we see the world of turn-of-the-20th-century Florida. And she's also an incurable romantic. We don't mean that she's always listening to vintage Celine Dion and sighing into her pillow. Janie knows all about the kind of hardships that life can bring about...but she still believes in the power of l'amour. What kind of hardships? Well, since you asked... A woman of mixed white and black heritage, Janie's birth was the result of a poor black schoolgirl being raped by an unnamed white schoolteacher. When her mom splits, Janie is brought up by her grandmother, a woman whose views have been shaped by a) living through the Civil War and b) having been in a forced relationship with her white master in the years before the war. Her grandma has no aspiration for Janie's romantic life besides seeing her officially and respectably married. Janie is less concerned with getting a ring and more concerned with finding true love. But Janie's is not a case of "first comes love and then comes marriage." Instead, she has to marry (twice) before she finds her Mr. Right. But let's start from the beginning. Someday My Prince Will Come As a young girl, Janie has some romantic bones in her body. Her introduction to love—watching a bee pollinate a flower while lying underneath a blossoming pear tree, has a profound effect on her; she associates this (pretty overtly sexual) pollination with the epitome of a romantic experience: She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid. (2.14) We can look at Janie's life as being divided into two distinct periods—there's before the pear tree and after the pear tree. Janie is immediately (and we mean immediately) inspired to seek love, which leads to her first kiss and a lifetime searching for true love. From the pear-tree incident onward, Janie becomes associated with plant and flower imagery, perhaps emphasizing her natural beauty, Eden-like innocence, gentle nature, and ripeness for romance. But her road to romance is far from easy. Before You Find a Prince, You Have to Kiss a Few Frogs The first obstacle to come between Janie and true romance is her well-meaning Nanny. Janie wants to make her grandma proud and, because of this, she's coerced into marrying an older man she can't love. This union is totally respectable, totally upstanding...and totally soul-crushing. But her brief marriage to Logan Killicks teaches Janie a valuable lesson: she learns that marriage doesn't necessarily lead to love, despite what her grandma promised her: She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman. (3.31) Janie learns that being a legitimate wife of a landholder isn't enough for her because she doesn't like being told what to do and can't live a purely perfunctory life without any romance. Having learned this—and seeing as how her grandmother has conveniently kicked the bucket by this point—Janie strikes out to take her future into her own hands. She ends up handing herself over to Joe Starks, a man she thinks she loves. She's blinded to his faults by her own visions of pear blossoms and bees and by his entrepreneurial charisma. Ultimately, Joe values ambition and material wealth more than he values Janie, and he sees her as an accessory rather than as an equal. Check out this scene when Joe becomes mayor: [Tony Taylor:] "And now we'll listen tuh uh few words uh encouragement from Mrs. Mayor Starks." The burst of applause was cut short by Joe taking the floor himself. "Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home." (5.107-109) Janie suffers under Joe's iron rule and is forced to keep silent, refrain from associating with the locals, hide her beautiful hair, and putter around the store. Basically, Joe keeps Janie socially and emotionally isolated. And all this isolation leads to being compliant: Janie, although occasionally speaking her mind, shows little spunk during their marriage. However, her caring nature won't allow her to distance herself from him while Joe is dying. She does everything in her power for him but in the end feels victorious at his death. This sense of victory isn't surprising: she's won some freedom at last. Lovestruck at Last Having lived under Joe's thumb for so long, Janie is cautious when she first meets her Prince Charming, the awesomely named Tea Cake. Though they have chemistry, he seems a little suspect. He's much younger than she is, for one thing, and he doesn't seem reliable. But, Tea Cake persists in his courtship and eventually Janie's heart is won over by his fun-loving, egalitarian nature—he respects her as an equal and takes her on midnight fishing trips (win-win). In fact, she falls head over heels in love with him: Janie awoke next morning by feeling Tea Cake almost kissing her breath away. Holding her and caressing her as if he feared she might escape his grasp and fly away. [...] She could feel him and almost see him bucking around the room in the upper air. After a long time of passive happiness, she got up and opened the window and let Tea Cake leap forth and mount to the sky on a wind. That was the beginning of things. (11.81-82) She's so swept off her feet that she marries him and embarks on a new, rural life. And, despite what her nosy neighbors think, she ends up liking her change in material status. Even though she's not well-to-do, she enjoys the freedom it brings. Now that she's not chained to middle-class values, she can associate with everyone she wants and speak out freely. Tea Cake doesn't try to tame or stifle Janie's nature; he even encourages her to try new things, like checkers and hunting. The secret to Janie and Tea Cake's marriage is their communication with each other; they talk out their troubles and constantly reassure each other of their love. But this isn't a happy ending. For one thing, Janie learns that true love comes with its own consequences. She discovers what it means to be jealous for the first time. She worries and cries at home when Tea Cake goes missing: But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back. (13.16) She also suffers because of his mistakes. When a hurricane rolls in, Tea Cake makes the literally fatal mistake of refusing to leave when he's offered a ride out of the Everglades. This decision to stay behind triggers a chain of events that ultimately leads to his death. And because Tea Cake's downfall is one part hamartia, two parts the wrath of the natural world (hurricanes and rabid dogs happen, y'all) Janie is basically a passive spectator. She can't help him survive: [Janie:] "You mean he's liable tuh die, doctah?" [Doctor Simmons:] "'Sho is. But de worst thing is he's liable tuh suffer somethin' awful befo' he goes." (19.96-97) But she can help him die. In the final moments before Tea Cake's death, Janie takes decisive action: in a mixture of self-defense and mercy killing, she shoots Tea Cake. This shows her maturity—she values herself and realizes that Tea Cake is beyond help. (Rabies is a terrible way to die.) And, however deeply she mourns his death, she does not—as might be expected—blame herself. Instead, Janie extends her energy toward keeping his memory alive. She doesn't despair; she picks herself up, goes home, and passes on her story. In the end, she thanks Tea Cake for giving her the opportunity to love and for taking her far beyond her horizons. Thanks to Tea Cake, Janie finally feels that she has lived a full and satisfying life—he definitely taught her that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Pheoby

Pheoby Watson is Janie's best friend and confidante. The entire book is actually the narration of Janie's life story as told to Pheoby—in theory, without Pheoby's character listening, there would be no story. Janie values Pheoby for her open ear and nonjudgmental attitude. She's exactly the conduit Janie needs to vent her feelings about Joe Starks, marriage, and Tea Cake. Pheoby, unlike much of Eatonville, defends Janie's actions and takes a very modern stand—that Janie is her own woman and has a good reason behind all of her actions. As a friend, Pheoby's faith is inspiring and probably influences us as readers to see Janie in a positive light. However, Pheoby's most important function is as a mirror to us. We, as listeners, go along with her on the journey of Janie's life. Vocab lesson: this type of character—one who listens as the protagonist tells a story—is sometimes called a narratee.

. After Joe Starks's funeral, Janie realizes that "She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her." Why is this important "to all the world"? In what ways does Janie's self-awareness depend on her increased awareness of others?

The importance of self-awareness and self-actualization is at the heart of becoming a fully realized human being. According to Maslow's hierarchy, a person must achieve a basic level of needs before they are able to better themselves and realize their full potential (and curiosity). Again, Hurston seems to be hinting at the importance of community, but in this regard, she is not just referring to the Black community, but something much more universal: humanity. She is stressing the importance of connection and how when we connect to others, we can better ourselves. This also hints at the connection between Pheoby and Janie. In order for Janie to heal from her trauma, then it is necessary to form a connection with other women, and in this case, that means another woman whom she trusts.

"She had been getting ready ... tight enough to choke her" (89)

She hated her grandmother and had hidden it from herself all these years under a cloak of pity. She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her. But she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after things. It was all according to the way you see things. Some people could look at a mud-puddle and see an ocean with ships. But Nanny belonged to that other kind that loved to deal in scraps. Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon—for not matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you—and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her. She hated the old woman who had twisted her so in the name of love. (9.4) In her utter disillusionment, Janie realizes she hates her grandmother for manipulating her and subjecting her to pain—all in the name of love. Janie resents this misguided treatment that caused Janie such suffering in two bad marriages. Janie realizes now that preserving one's innocence depends on your outlook on the world. Nanny's pessimistic outlook was, from the very beginning, devoid of innocence and immersed in jaded cynicism. That Nanny imposed her dark outlook on such a pure young girl infuriates Janie.

"You know, honey ... they wasn't no pulpit for me" (16)

Slavery, obviously, is confining. It kept Nanny from fulfilling her dreams and taking action to bring black women more respect. However, though slavery physically shackled her, Nanny claims that it couldn't chain up a person's will and wishes.

"Sometimes Janie would think ... from listening to the rest" (134)

Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself. What if Eatonville could see her now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes? The crowd of people around her and a dice game on her floor! She was sorry for her friends back there and scornful of the others. The men held big arguments here like they used to do on the store porch. Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk some herself if she wanted to. She got so she could tell big stories herself from listening to the rest. (14.31) While experiencing the "low" life of the migrant workers, Janie comes to love it and to pity her friends back in Eatonville for having to deal with pretentious townspeople. Here, nobody acts as if fun is a sin and nobody interferes with anyone else's happiness, telling them what they can and cannot do. Janie revels in it, especially in the telling of stories.

"Tea Cake was lying ... he didn't want her to see him fail" (178)

Tea Cake doesn't want Janie to see him in a weak moment. He doesn't let Janie help him, just as Joe did. This is when we first see the sickness Tea Cake is undergoing.

"Tea Cake fell in beside her and mounted the porch this time" (101)

Tea Cake enters Janie's home which no one had been able to do after Joe died. It symbolizes her letting Tea Cake into her life, the porch symbolizing communication and community.

Tea Cake

Tea Cake is Janie's true love. He's the Romeo to her Juliet. The Mr. Rochester to her Jane Eyre. The Hannibal Lecter to her Clarice Starling. (Okay, maybe not that last one.) He wins Janie's heart with his carefree, fun-loving nature. She adores his energy and willingness to make her his equal. We see that Tea Cake is fundamentally different from Janie's former lovers when he...teaches her how to play checkers: He [Tea Cake] set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play. That was even nice. She looked him over and got little thrills from one of his good points. Those full, lazy eyes with the lashes curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. The lean, over-padded shoulders and narrow waist. Even nice! (10.25) Yup, something as silly as a board game speaks volumes: the fact that he considers her intelligent enough to learn such a game shows that he has a more modern conception of women than Logan or Joe. This sense of gender equality continues when Tea Cake asks Janie to work alongside him in the Everglades fields. Both of Janie's earlier husbands wanted her to work, too, but she resented it. The difference is that Logan wanted Janie to do hard labor because he thought of her as an object—like a work horse—to dominate and utilize. Joe wanted Janie to work in the store, which she also disliked because Joe did little work himself and through forcing her to work, he mostly wanted to publicly display her as his trophy wife and to prove that he was the boss of her. Tea Cake's attitude about Janie working is completely different. To begin with, he gives her the choice of working and doesn't command her. Secondly, his reasons for wanting her to work are so that they can share more time and experiences together. In working together, Tea Cake doesn't see Janie as an object, but as a partner and companion: So the very next morning Janie got ready to pick beans along with Tea Cake. There was a suppressed murmur when she picked up a basket and went to work. She was already getting to be a special case on the muck. It was generally assumed that she thought herself too good to work like the rest of the women and that Tea Cake "pomped her up tuh dat." But all day long the romping and playing they carried on behind the boss's back made her popular right away. It got the whole field to playing off and on. Then Tea Cake would help get supper afterwards. (14.27) Another characteristic that distinguishes Tea Cake from Janie's previous husbands is his willingness to both talk and listen. These were the most fundamental flaws in Logan and Joe—Logan didn't express himself, and Joe wouldn't listen to Janie. Tea Cake does both (he's awesome like that) and, because of this steady flow of communication, he and Janie are able to talk out and resolve their problems. Equally importantly, they both reassure each other of their love on a regular basis. #relationshipgoals However, Tea Cake has a seed of jealousy in him, which completely takes over when he gets rabies from the mad dog: "Janie, whut is dat Tuner woman's brother doin' back on de muck?" "Ah don't know, Tea Cake. Didn't even knowed he wuz back." "Accordin' tuh mah notion, you did. Whut you slip off from me just now for?" "Tea Cake, Ah don't lak you astin' me no sich question. Dat shows how sick you is sho nuff. You'se jealous 'thout me givin' you cause." "Well, whut didja slip off from de house 'thout tellin' me you wuz goin'. You ain't never done dat befo'." "Dat wuz cause Ah wuz tryin' not tuh let yuh worry 'bout yo' condition. De doctah sent after some mo' medicine and Ah went tuh see if it come." (19.117-122) (PSA: stay away from stray dogs. Their Eyes Were Watching God makes rabies look about as much fun as medieval torture.) In fact, Tea Cake's rabies-fueled jealousy is what ends up killing him: when he attempts to shoot Janie (because he thinks she's two-timing him), she shoots him in self-defense. Tea Cake might be considered a tragic hero because his pride keeps him from leaving the Everglades when signs of the oncoming hurricane are evident. Pride also keeps him from calling on a doctor when he desperately needs care. But, Hurston makes it obvious that during his last few hours, Tea Cake isn't there; he has been replaced by some monstrous, bloodthirsty creature. The legacy of Tea Cake, then, remains untarnished.

"He had always wanted to be a big voice ... desire to be a big voice" (28)

The entrepreneurial Joe has a very strong opinion about black folks. He thinks that, like white people, they should only take credit and pride in what they have built with their own hands. Joe means to be onboard when an all-black town arises because he sees that as his only way to be as influential a man as he wants to be. Joe's way of coming to terms with the rigid, hierarchical, racist social structure of white towns is to live solely among people of his own race.

"Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things" (43)

The first sign of trouble in Janie's second marriage comes when Joe completely cuts off Janie when she is invited to speak publicly. Though Janie does not really want to speak, she resents Joe for not even giving her the chance to reply. This quick silencing of Janie takes "the bloom off of things" or takes the romance—represented by Janie's pear blossoms—out of the moment. This leaves her feeling "cold" when she should be flushed with warmth for love of Joe.

Porch

The front porch of Joe Starks' crossroads store is the gathering place for many of the men and women of Eatonville. There they sit or lean against the railing, sipping soft drinks, eating cheese and soda crackers, talking, and talking. When their day's work is over, that's one way to pass the time. The porch sitters at the store are most likely to be men. The women usually gather on the porch of someone's home, maybe Pheoby Watson's, to gossip. Their excuse to be on the store porch may be to play checkers or to watch a game of checkers being played. The real reason, of course, is to talk and tease. Having created this group, Hurston gives them names, and they have dignified family names, not colorful, exotic names like the men on the muck. As individuals, with the exceptions of Sam and Pheoby, they are not significant characters. As a group, they may be seen as functioning as a sort of chorus. They serve as modern commentators giving their own interpretations to the actions of the main characters and providing an interlude, as in the mule story. Ms. Wrambels: These instances represent community. Folk traditions play a very large role in the black community and I would argue that it is due in large part to the horizon that Hurston describes at the beginning of the book. Using stories and exaggerations, the community is able to achieve the dreams that they are not able to necessarily achieve in an America that largely suppressed and marginalized the Black community.

"She got to be a better shot ... till work got pressing" (131)

The idea of a woman handling weapons is a scandalous idea in the post-Civil War South. Its shock value draws many bystanders to witness this breach of gender barriers. By wielding a gun, Janie is taking on a definitively masculine role since she can now attack others and defend herself. The fact that Tea Cake teaches her how to shoot shows that he, unlike Joe, is not afraid of Janie becoming more independent than the average woman. This also foreshadows Tea Cakes impending death.

Mule

The incident of the "town mule", when Jody "rescues" Matt Bonner's mule (p 55-62), is more than just a humorous moment in the book. The mule story serves to illustrate the strained relationship between Janie and Joe Starks. More than that, however, the figure of the mule can refer not only to Janie herself but to any black woman struggling for independence. At the beginning of the novel Nanny tells Janie, "Honey, white man is de ruler of everything as fur as Ah been able tuh find out...So de white man throw down de load and tell de ****** man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De ****** woman is de mule of de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been prayin' fuh it tuh be different wid you. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!" (p 14) Janie identifies with the mule, which remains stubbornly independent despite its master's efforts to beat it down. Ironically, while Jody's position in the city gives him the power to free the mule, his pride and ambition cause him to virtually enslave his wife. He can free Janie only by his death.

"The memory of Nanny was still powerful and strong" (29)

The memory of what Nanny wants for her life still holds strong in Janie but eventually she is convinced to go with Joe because he says he will treat her like a lady and he provides an interesting escape from her life. and she knows that this is who she wants to marry and run away with. However she is not too attracted to him, this is obvious when she says, "He did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees." (Hurston 29). It is clear that she is not very attracted to him yet because he offers a more thrilling life than she has she goes with him and runs away to Eatonville.

"That was the end of her childhood" (12)

The old woman's voice was so lacking in command and reproof, so full of crumbling dissolution,—that Janie half believed that Nanny had not seen her. So she extended herself outside of her dream and went inside of the house. That was the end of her childhood. (2.18-19) Janie's definitive end of childhood and the most naïve level of innocence is initiated by a single word from Nanny. Curiously, this word does not carry a tone of authoritative reproof but is marked by its frailty. It seems that Janie is more moved by pity for Nanny than actual regret for kissing a boy, and that her childhood innocence is lost not from the awareness of her sexuality but from disappointing Nanny.

"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (160)

The wind came back with triple fury and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God. (18.39) Only when faced with a natural disaster in the magnitude of a hurricane does man feel humbled at his smallness in the face of God. The characters here realize that their free will (their desire to remain in the Everglades despite the hurricane) can't stand against God's will (the hurricane).

"The years took all the fight out of Janie's face" (76)

The years took all the fight out of Janie's face. For a while she thought it was gone from her soul. No matter what Jody did, she said nothing. She had learned how to talk some and leave some. She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels. Sometimes she stuck out into the future, imagining her life different from what it was. But mostly she lived between her hat and her heels, with her emotional disturbances like shade patterns in the woods—come and gone with the sun. She got nothing from Jody except what money could buy, and she was giving away what she didn't value. (7.1) Janie's loss of innocence results in a silencing of her voice. Her imagination—her projection of a better future—is the only thing that keeps her from growing incurably bitter and cynical. She does, however, see the marriage now for what it is—an economic system of exchange in which Joe gives her material goods that do not touch her emotionally, and she responds in kind.

"Ambition was useless ... drove her from the store" (80)

Then Joe Starks realized all the meanings and his vanity bled like a flood. Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible. The thing that Saul's daughter had done to David. But Janie had done worse, she had cast down his empty armor before men and they had laughed, would keep on laughing. When he paraded his possessions hereafter, they would not consider the two together. They'd look with envy at the things and pity the man that owned them. When he sat in judgment it would be the same. Good-for-nothing's like Dave and Lum and Jim wouldn't change place with him. For what can excuse a man in the eyes of other men for lack of strength? Raggedy-behind squirts of sixteen and seventeen would be giving him their merciless pity out of their eyes while their mouths said something humble. There was nothing to do in life anymore. Ambition was useless. And the cruel deceit of Janie! Making all that show of humbleness and scorning him all the time! Laughing at him, and now putting the town up to do the same. (7.27) Finally, Hurston links pride almost directly to masculinity. For men, there is a one-to-one correspondence between pride and masculinity. Janie's act of publicly belittling Joe's manhood is a metaphoric act of castration that Joe, and every other man present, is sensitive to. When a man of such pride as Joe loses his masculinity publicly at the hands of a "weak" woman, he loses everything. Thus, Joe characterizes Janie as a traitor.

"Janie, Ah hope God may kill me ... You got de keys to de kingdom" (109)

Unlike Janie's two previous marriages, Tea Cake shows that he's willing to treat Janie with the respect and love that is long overdue to her. Though perhaps cliché to tell his wife that she's got "the keys to the kingdom," (i.e. whatever she wants, she can have), it is nonetheless endearing that unlike the brute coldness of Logan and the overbearing possessiveness of Jody, Tea Cake offers Janie the world. And while any relationship is a good balance of give and take, after what Janie's been through, it's nice to have someone pamper her once in a while.

1. What kind of God are the eyes of Hurston's characters watching? What is the nature of that God and of their watching? Do any of them question God?

There are multiple gods that these characters are watching. In the case of Mrs. Turner, her gods "require blood" and this belief system seems to substantiate her views of racial hierarchy. In the case of Janie and Tea Cake in Chapter 18, as the storm approaches, "Six eyes were questioning God." It is not accidental that this is italicized, but rather, Hurston is trying to draw our attention to the fact that this impending doom could serve not only as a showcase of God's power (the hurricane), but it could also showcase God's judgment (the characters may die as a result of this storm). It is also important to note the verb here, the characters are questioning God. It seems natural in the face of death that these characters might question the power of God and their faith. Later, the narrator says, "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (Hurston 160). In the case of this quotation, it further supports the claim that these characters are waiting to witness God's power in the form of this storm. As the book ends, Janie's last words are "Two things everybody's got tuh do fuh themselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh themselves" (192). It appears that by the end of the text, Janie has done both. She has witnessed God's power, and mercy in surviving, but she has also begun to learn to live for herself.

. What is the importance in the novel of the "signifyin'" and "playin' de dozens" on the front porch of Joe's store and elsewhere? What purpose do these stories, traded insults, exaggerations, and boasts have in the lives of these people?

These instances represent community. Folk traditions play a very large role in the black community and I would argue that it is due in large part to the horizon that Hurston describes at the beginning of the book. Using stories and exaggerations, the community is able to achieve the dreams that they are not able to necessarily achieve in an America that largely suppressed and marginalized the Black community.

"They all leaned over to listen while she talked ... and when she was through she hushed" (187)

They all leaned over to listen while she talked. First thing she had to remember was she was not at home. She was in the courthouse fighting something and it wasn't death. It was worse than that. It was lying thoughts. She had to go way back to let them know how she and Tea Cake had been with one another so they could see she could never shoot Tea Cake out of malice. She tried to make them see how terrible it was that things were fixed so that Tea Cake couldn't come back to himself until he had got rid of that mad dog that was in him and he couldn't get rid of the dog and live. He had to die to get rid of the dog. But she hadn't wanted to kill him. A man is up against a hard game when he must die to beat it. She made them see how couldn't ever want to be rid of him. She didn't plead to anybody. She just sat there and told and when she was through she hushed. (19.169-170) The text is ambiguous about what Janie means by "she had to remember she was not at home." Perhaps it means that she drops the black vernacular and speaks in Standard English to seem more professional and to gain the ear of the white jury. Or that she's more open and direct than she commonly was at home. Who knows? Anyway, her words in her testimony come straight from the heart, telling it exactly as it happened. The astute reader remembers the instance in which Janie congratulates Joe on freeing the yellow mule and recalls the moving eloquence with which she spoke. You can assume she is applying the same kind frank eloquence here. It is important that Janie is not "plead[ing] to anybody;" she does not view the white men as gods (like Mrs. Turner), but instead speaks her words ringingly true so that nobody can deny them. Like when she criticized Joe at the end of his life, her words have power because there is truth behind them.

To what extent does Janie acquire her own voice and the ability to shape her own life? How are the two related? Does Janie's telling her story to Pheoby in flashback undermine her ability to tell her story directly in her own voice?

This is the heart of my scholarly research. There are several moments in the text where Janie's voice is suppressed. First, Nanny suppresses Janie's voice and her articulations about her dreams for marriage by forcing her to marry Logan Killicks. Additionally, Logan suppresses Janie's voice through physical labor and force as well. Once Janie exerts her own voice in this relationship to discuss her dissatisfaction, she then takes action and leaves Logan to pursue Joe Starks. While we can consider this a positive movement forward, Janie's voice is once again silenced during her time at Eatonville. She is not allowed to participate in the conversations on the porch and moreover, when she does attempt to assert her voice, she is beaten by Joe as a result. It isn't until Joe is dying that Janie is able to once again use her voice to air her grievances against Joe. This is due in large part to the power dynamics in this relationship. When Joe has power, he asserts his dominant voice (from the moment of his introduction, he is described as having a "big voice"). However, when Joe is dying, and by describing himself as a "hog," he has dehumanized himself in such a way that Janie is able to feel powerful enough to use her voice. It is at this point that Joe dies and Janie has to "starch and iron her face" for the community to hide her joy at her newfound freedom. In her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie's voice is complicated. She is able to voice her concerns, her jealousies, her fears, but only to a point. And moreover, Tea Cake also physically abuses Janie in his attempts to show possession over her. When Janie is made into an object, she loses her agency, and thus, her ability to use her voice. At the conclusion of the book, when Janie is on trial for Tea Cake's murder, we as the audience read that Janie "just sat there and told and when she was through she hushed" (Hurston 187). The significance of this is that we do not see Janie's dialogue, she is not actually given the opportunity in the text to talk. And lastly, to address Pheoby's involvement - Janie is not actually telling her story, Pheoby is. Pheoby is our narrator and telling Janie's story as a third party witness to most of the action of the text. I argue that the reason for this is Janie's trauma prevents her from using her voice and it is Pheoby that serves as our witness. By telling this story, Pheoby is able to help Janie attempt to heal from this trauma so that she might be able to use her voice in the future and that is clear at the conclusion of the text.

"Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman" (25)

Though Janie is still inexperienced enough not to know what she really wants, she sure doesn't want Logan. Her innocence makes her yearn still for chivalric love but her horrible experience with Logan has gone a long way in killing her dream. The fact that "she became a woman" at the death of her dream means that womanhood is partly defined by suffering, disillusionment, and a loss of innocence.

. What are the differences between the language of the men and that of Janie and the other women? How do the differences in language reflect the two groups' approaches to life, power, relationships, and self-realization? How do the novel's first two paragraphs point to these differences?

We see a difference in this language in the first page of the book. When Janie is returning to Eatonville from burying Tea Cake, the men describe Janie in a hyper-sexualized manner, while the women are largely jealous of her. This is evident as well from the women's discussion of Janie before Pheoby goes to speak with her. It is significant that the language used by the men in this instance to make Janie into an object, a possession, that they are using their power and dominance over her. This is true at several other junctures in the text but most notably during the moments where Tea Cake beats Janie. "Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all" (Hurston 147). The second sentence could be said to be Tea Cake's voice - his justification that this beating wasn't damaging or traumatic. The quote goes on to say, "He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss" (147). This showcases the dynamics of power in this novel - that the men are able to exert physical dominance, but also use their voices much more prominently in the text. The women in this text are largely pitted against one another in the pursuit of men. From Daisy in chapter 6 to Nunkie in chapter 15, the women in this novel are sexualized and seen as objects in pursuit of men. The other women, such as Mrs. Turner, or Mrs. Sumpkins, reinforce this narrative and critique women for their behavior. Very similar to the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, when one woman does something, it makes the other women in the community look bad. Even Nanny reinforces the social hierarchy, mentioning that "Ah wanted to preach a great sermon about colored women sittin' on high, but they wasn't no pulpit for me" (16). In fact, the only positive female interaction in the text is between Janie and Pheoby. This is because Janie trusts Pheoby and through this trust, they are able to communicate and join one another "on the steps of the back porch" (4). Since they are even ground, they are able to participate in this community and able to help one another.

Domestic Abuse

We see a difference in this language in the first page of the book. When Janie is returning to Eatonville from burying Tea Cake, the men describe Janie in a hyper-sexualized manner, while the women are largely jealous of her. This is evident as well from the women's discussion of Janie before Pheoby goes to speak with her. It is significant that the language used by the men in this instance to make Janie into an object, a possession, that they are using their power and dominance over her. This is true at several other junctures in the text but most notably during the moments where Tea Cake beats Janie. "Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all" (Hurston 147). The second sentence could be said to be Tea Cake's voice - his justification that this beating wasn't damaging or traumatic. The quote goes on to say, "He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss" (147). This showcases the dynamics of power in this novel - that the men are able to exert physical dominance, but also use their voices much more prominently in the text. The women in this text are largely pitted against one another in the pursuit of men. From Daisy in chapter 6 to Nunkie in chapter 15, the women in this novel are sexualized and seen as objects in pursuit of men. The other women, such as Mrs. Turner, or Mrs. Sumpkins, reinforce this narrative and critique women for their behavior. Very similar to the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, when one woman does something, it makes the other women in the community look bad. Even Nanny reinforces the social hierarchy, mentioning that "Ah wanted to preach a great sermon about colored women sittin' on high, but they wasn't no pulpit for me" (16). In fact, the only positive female interaction in the text is between Janie and Pheoby. This is because Janie trusts Pheoby and through this trust, they are able to communicate and join one another "on the steps of the back porch" (4). Since they are even ground, they are able to participate in this community and able to help one another.

What is the importance of the concept of horizon? How do Janie and each of her men widen her horizons? What is the significance of the novel's final sentences in this regard?

We've certainly addressed this a few times in class. The horizon is always an unattainable goal - it represents dreams, and hope, and possibility. For the men in the novel, reaching the horizon, or towards their dreams, is much easier. As Janie gains knowledge and experience through her relationships, Janie is able to "broaden her horizons" and begin to dream about the life that she may be able to live. Remember, this novel can be considered a bildungsroman, or a coming of age story, and that when Janie moves through the novel, she goes from being an innocent or ignorant character to growing and "coming of age" through her experiences. However, she remarks several times about the horizon being out of her reach. In regards to chapter 9, Janie says, "Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon - for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you - and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter's neck tight enough to choke her" (Hurston 89). In this instance, Janie believes that her dream, to have a loving and affectionate marriage, has been corrupted by Nanny and her previous trauma to believe that marriage should be based on security, not love. She is angry that her worldview is affected in this way and blames Nanny for influencing her negatively. At the end of the book, however, Janie says, "She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see" (193). For this quotation, now Janie is in control of her dreams. In personifying the horizon like a "fish-net," Hurston places Janie's future in her hands. Some critics argue that because Janie achieved her dream of having an affectionate relationship that she was able to reach her "horizon," but I would argue that instead, Janie is able to begin living her own life, free from these traumatic relationships, and that is the real horizon.

Trauma Theory

What is trauma? • A deeply disturbing event or experience • Abuse, rape, imprisonment, slavery, natural disaster, death or threat of death Everyone processes a traumatic event differently because we all face them through the lens of prior experiences in our lives. For example: one person might be upset and fearful after going through a hurricane, but someone else might have lost family and barely escaped from a flooded home during Hurricane Katrina. In this case, a minor Category One hurricane may bring up traumatic flashbacks of their terrifying experience. In literature 1. Trauma defies witnessing, cognition, conscious recall and representation a. Can be used across groups of people 2. The narrative "circles the subject" a. Not described specifically or in the time it occurs i. Bridge centuries 3. Witnesses attach different meaning to different events a. 12 Years a Slave v. Narrative of Frederick Douglass i. Triggers and trauma are different across these pieces 4. Traumatic event is not fully experienced by the witness at the time of the event a. Memoir writing b. Time causes the event to be represented differently 5. Return to the event is intrusive and random a. Sudden like panic or more gradual and pervasive 6. Testimony and witness serve as an opportunity to: a. revictimize OR b. as a prosthetic for memory i. This means there might be healing in the community through the story

"We oughta lighten up de race" (140)

[Mrs. Turner]: "You got mo' nerve than me. Ah jus' couldn't see mahself married to no black man. It's too many black folks already. We oughta lighten up de race." (16.10) Mrs. Turner's hatred for the black race runs so deep that she refuses to marry a black man and she even goes so far as to say that black people should be eliminated. Though she does not state it so bluntly, such is her implication when she suggests that she and Janie should "lighten up de race" by marrying only white men. Doesn't this make you think of Nazi Germany?

"De n***er woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see" (14)

[Nanny]: "Honey, de white man is de ruler of everything as fur as Ah been able tuh find out. Maybe it's some place way off in de ocean where de black man is in power, but we don't know nothin' but what we see. So de white man throw down de load and tell de ****** man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De ****** woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see." (2.44) This book reveals a social hierarchy based on race and gender. While the fact that black men were often put down and discriminated against by white men is common knowledge, Nanny points out an even more victimized group - black women. By virtue of being both a racial minority and the "weaker" sex, black women had it worst of all and were essentially the bottom of the totem pole.

It's so many people ... God opened de door" (159)

[Tea Cake]: "But 'sposing you wuz tuh die now. You wouldn't git mad at me for draggin' yuh heah?" "Naw, We been tuhgether round two years. If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don't keer if you die at dusk. It's so many people never seen de light at all. Ah wuz fumblin' round and God opened de door." (18.36-37) In her reassuring response to Tea Cake, Janie likens life to a day—referring to traditional light imagery of dawn representing hope, while dusk and the coming of darkness symbolize despair. She calls Tea Cake her "light at daybreak" and considers her life full enough so that she can "die at dusk" peacefully.

Bildungsroman

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education.