Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters 10 12

Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters 10 -12 Claire Snider, Marc Chroback, John Vargas

Chapter 10

A familiar man, Tea Cake, enters shortly before closing Janie is left alone in the store until closing Tea Cake teaches Janie how to play checkers, a game she was not allowed to play in her previous marriage Flirting Tea Cake introduces himself before helping her close the store - uses his friendly name Janie sells Tea Cake cigarettes, he asks why she isn’t at the ball game Tea Cake walks Janie home, even though he was strange to her, and leaves her on her porch

Chapter 11

Janie wants to know more about Tea Cake without others thinking she’s romantically interested Janie and Tea Cake go fishing at night Tea Cake returns a week later playing an imaginary guitar, Janie teases him about his money- he offers her a train or a ship Hezekiah warns Janie about Tea Cake’s inability to sustain himself Janie surprises spectators as they play checkers againhe walks her home and they enjoy pound cake/lemonade on her porch Tea Cake returns to Janie’s porch the following night with a trout for their meal- he plays her a song (blues) on the piano to lull her asleep

Janie wakes up to Tea Cake combing her haircomfortable and drowsy Tea Cake accuses Janie of not wanting him around because of his lack of money- he claims the age gap doesn’t bother him but he wants to be with her (she thinks he’ll feel differently the next day) Janie questions Tea Cake’s actions - where did he get the comb? Why is he combing her hair? Janie tries to sleep, thinking about Tea Cake- she is confused and tries to criticize him in her mind (he doesn’t come back that night) Janie fails to see the value that Tea Cake claims her hair has- He says he wants to show Janie what makes her beautiful Tea Cake returns the following morning with strawberries to prove he hasn’t changed his mindthen leaves for work

Janie catches feelings for Tea Cake but still has her doubts- he doesn’t return for a few days, suggesting a lack of commitment Tea Cake waits for Janie in the hammock when she returns from the store- he pulls her in and they spend the night together Tea Cake returns with a borrowed car to take Janie on a picnic- she has the keys to the kingdom

Chapter 12

The town begins to notice Janie and Tea Cake’s relations and criticize her for not mourning Jody long enough and choosing a guy like Tea Cake- criticizes her actions (quitting church, wearing blue, high heels, going hunting) “signs of possession” Pheoby explains rumors involving Tea Cake’s control to Janie, but she denies it “Tea Cake ain’t draggin’ me off nowhere Ah don’t want tuh go” Sam Watson notices Janie fixing her hair differently to impress Tea Cake. Phoebe believes Janie should marry an undertaker in Sanford instead Sam reveals that men speculate that Tea Cake is taking advantage of Janiepastor says he is distancing her from the church and they compare her to Mrs. Tyler, who was stripped of her belongings by a younger man Janie plans to sell the store and go away to marry Tea Cake- he is different from her last husband, they are moving away from judgement and comparisons

Janie is done living the life her grandma wanted for her and is ready to live her way- explains Nanny’s life in slavery and her wish for Janie to live a more lavish life than she did Janie tells Phoeby that age is only a label and their feelings are genuine. Tea Cake has expanded her knowledge and is involved in her life- only a matter of time before she leaves town with him Janie is adamantly denying their connections to Mis’ Tyler and Who Flung- Tea Cake isn’t “no stranger”, expresses their commitment by saying they are basically married already, Phoeby agrees to keep the conversation to herself

Extended Metaphors

Ball Game: “One day Hezekiah asked off from work to go off with the ball team. Janie told him not hurry back” (pg. 94) “Why ain’t you at de ball game, too? Everybody else is dere” (pg. 95) Checkers: “How about playin’ you checkers? You looks hard tuh beat” (pg. 95) “De folks treasures de game round heah. Ah just ain’t learnt how. ” (pg. 95) Eyes: “ Those full, lazy, eyes with the lashes curling sharply like drawn scimitars. ” (Pg. 96) “However, before she went to bed she took a good look at her mouth, eyes, and hair” (pg. 106)

Darkness: “ But it was no place to show her fear there in the darkness between the house and the store” (pg. 99) “He did not return that night nor the next and so she plunged into the abyss and descended to the ninth darkness where light has never been” (pg. 108) Blue: “Then Tea Cake went to the piano without so much as asking and began playing blues and singing, and throwing grins over his shoulder. ” (pg. 103) “Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. ” (Pg. 113) Fish: “They went out into the kitchen and fixed up the hot fish and corn muffins and ate. ” (pg. 103)

Hen/Chicken: “Ah jus lak uh chicken. Chicken drink water, but he don’t pee-pee. ” (Page 114) Hair: “She woke up with Tea Cake combing her hair and scratching the dandruff from her scalp. It made her more comfortable and drowsy” (Page 103) “Why, Tea Cake? Whut good do combin’ mah hair do you? It’s mah comfortable, not yourn” (Page 103) “It’s somebody ‘cause she looks might good dese days. New dresses and her hair combed a different way nearly every day. You got to hvae something to comb hair over, when you see uh woman doin’ so much rakin’ in her head, she’s combin’ at some man or ‘nother. ” (Page 111)

Porch: “So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day. ” (Page 99) “Tea Cake fell in beside her and mounted the porch this time. So she offered him a seat and they made a lot of laughter out of nothing. ”( Page 101) “The next night when she mounted her steps Tea Cake was there before her, sitting on the porch in the dark. He had a string of fresh-caught trout for a present. ” (Page 103) “But that night when she left the store, he was stretched out in the hammock on the porch with his hat over his face pretending to sleep. ”(Page 107) “The next morning Pheoby picked her way over to Janie’s house like a hen to a neighbor’s garden. Stopped and talked a little with everyone she met, turned aside momentarily to pause at a porch or two--going straight by walking crooked. ” (Page 112)

Describing Maps

Janie

Janie (Post Mourn): Developing With the end of Jody’s oppression, Janie is now growing and maturing as Tea Cake allows her to advance within herself by having a man without the oppression that comes with him.

“Ah ain’t grievin’ so why do Ah hafta mourn? Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain’t never in his life picked out no color for me. De world picked out black and white for mournin’, Joe didn’t. ” (Page 113) Personification, Symbolism

After the death of Jody, Janie’s oppression was over as she was able to make her own decisions. The introduction of Tea Cake and Janie's development of feelings for him, offer a new type of love for Janie. The Personification of the world choosing her color of clothing, shows that Jody had no interest in Janie. Jody went off of society’s standards as he was only interested in boosting his own reputation/status, using Janie as his stepping stool into the next hierarchical status. This also shows that Jody and Janie had no true feelings between one another, Janie took no effort to mourn for Jody as she had no reason to do so since Jody didn’t give effort towards her and building their relationship. Only his status and how others viewed him. But as Tea Cake is introduced and Janie eventually falls for him, mutual interest is obviously seen. Tea Cake takes interest in advancing Janie’s appearance, unlike Jody, by the color of her dresses or the style of her hair. The color blue symbolizes the interest shown/advancement. Compared to Janie’s last relationship, Tea Cake influences Janie in a positive manner and pushes her to look pretty and try new dress colors, as blue is bright and shows positivity and clarity. . . like how Janie is thriving in her new relationship. Janie used to have her hair restrained in a head wrap when she was Jody, but with Tea Cake, she styles her hair each day and is free from the oppression that Jody placed on her.

Tea Cake

Tea Cake: Positive Tea Cake’s presence has been a major factor in Janie’s advancement since he has features that Jody did not possess, while also being present in her life and showing interest.

“He done taught me de maiden language all over. Wait till you see de new blue satin Tea Cake done picked out for me tuh stand up wid him. High heel slippers, necklace, earrings, everything he wants tuh see me in. ” (Page 115) Metaphor, Symbolism

Tea Cake’s presence among Janie guides her to advancing internally compared to the harsh treatment Janie received from Jody. “de maiden language” represents love as Janie is experiencing a complete opposite interpretation of love as Tea Cake shows interest in the characteristics of Janie and her internal advancement. Although there are skeptical rumors that he is using Janie for his yearn of money, he still shows genuine feelings towards Janie. With this interest, the clothing/accessories that Tea Cake had picked out, for Janie, symbolizes the excitement and positive influence Tea Cake has had on Janie. Jody had never cared for what she wore, as long as it made HIM look better in the eyes of the town. Now the roles have flipped as Tea Cake shows his personal interest in Janie and the attention she is getting from him, pushes Janie to impress him. Though it may be an outfit, it shows the mutual interest in one another.

The Fish

The Fish: Insightful Fish contain the knowledge of life and swim in the seas of our uncertainty, but Janie can only obtain them with a man’s help

“The next night when she mounted her steps Tea Cake was there before her, sitting on the porch in the dark. He had a string of fresh-caught trout for a present” (Page 103) Metaphor

At this point in the book, Tea Cake believes he has intellectual control over Janie, as he has “taught” her how to play checkers and fish. However, Janie has learned from her experience with Jody that a man’s ego is delicate and the thought of intellectual superiority is crucial to them. Therefore, Janie allows Tea Cake to be “superior” to her because he is different. Tea Cake genuinely wants Janie to gain knowledge, illustrated by the gift of the “fresh caught trout. ” He is also sitting in the darkness and waiting for her to arrive. Tea Cake understands Janie’s underlying desire for love and control as he sits in the “darkness” of her own porch. He has been waiting to expand her knowledge further with more fish, but he now believes that he can captain Janie towards her desires. Society believes that women need men to captain the “ship” of learning towards their personal horizons in order to traverse the seas of uncertainty. Men give women “fish” to sustain them for a short period, but rarely teach them how to fish. They do not want to give up their control over women, but Tea Cake is willing to do so. Through her experience with Tea Cake, Janie has learned to “fish” with a net, allowing her to catch multiple fish at a time. She has enough to share with other women and doesn’t even need a ship. Janie, and the women she teaches, no longer need to receive their knowledge from men. They are now able to view the world objectively and teach themselves from their perspective without the corruption of men and can now “pull in their own horizons. ”

Checkers

Checkers: Empowering Janie has had two previous husbands that have undermined her control and intelligence, but when she plays “checkers” against Tea Cake she has regained power over her own decisions.

“He was jumping her king! She screamed in protest against losing the king she had such a hard time acquiring. Before she knew it she had grabbed his hand to stop him. He struggled gallantly to free himself. That is he struggled, but not hard enough to wrench a lady’s fingers. ” (Page 96) Metaphor, Diction

The checkers game represents the relationship, especially marriage, between women and men. Janie has learned through her previous marriages that the first few “moves” are quite simple, but as she begins to lose her pieces, her control and opinions disappear as well. Jody never allowed her to play because he didn’t want to understand a woman's perspective and was afraid of being undermined by her intelligence. After the death of Jody, Janie regains freedom of herself and control over her own decisions, obtaining the sought after king, but is hesitant about the role of Tea Cake in her life. Tea Cake, however, teaches Janie how to play and she now has control over her own “pieces”, even in the presence of a man. Ironically, Tea Cake is the first man to share his knowledge and genuinely support Janie’s learning, but they are both trying to “grab” control over the other as they play. Janie does not want to lose her freedom as suddenly as when Tea Cake “jumped her king. ” He fights to become the Man in her life, but she couldn’t “wrench” her fingers. She wants the protection of a man, but still wants to secure control over her own decisions. She has to choose between abandoning her free will with marriage or remaining a widow with power over herself. Tea Cake is “gallantly” freeing himself as he attracts Janie towards marriage. Janie is physically attracted to Tea Cake, as the distraction caused the loss of her king, but the lessons he taught her pushed her towards her decision of marriage.

Hair

Hair: Dangerous Janie’s hair welcomed intimacy in her relationships, which made her susceptible to emotional harm.

“‘Ah brought it wid me. Come prepared tuh lay mah hands on it tuhnight. ’ ‘Why, Tea Cake? Whut good do combin’ mah hair do you? It’s mah comfortable, not yourn. ’” (Page 103) Metaphor, tone

Janie’s hair is her vulnerability. It is the primary reason for the attraction she gets from men, and holds a sense of delicate power. When she woke up to Tea Cake combing it, she had to decide whether or not she wanted this intimacy with him. Chopin’s use of Janie’s hair emphasizes the fact that the values of society are also what can break a person. Giving away access to her hair is putting herself in the position to be violated. Janie’s uncertainty of Tea Cake is expressed in her questions. After he explains that he brought a comb to run through her hair, Janie asks what pleasure it brings him. She assumes a possessive tone over hair, because it is clearly an area of sensitivity for her. Her previous romantic struggles have hindered her ability to trust, and she must analyze Tea Cake’s real intentions. He is much younger than her, so she must be cautious to ensure that he isn’t after her money. Janie’s possession over hair demonstrates the defensive walls she has put up to ward off the potential emotional harm that exists in a relationship.

Literary Analyses

“All next day in the house and store 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 seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. Spices hung about him. He was a glance from God. ” (Page 106)

The “battle” that Janie encounters is her internal conflict, determining if Tea Cake is like all other men, or if he’s what she hopes he is. . . genuine. As her “battle” comes to an end, it seems the outcome is the same as the last, that “she couldn’t make him look just like any other man to her, ” as Tea Cake has left his mark on Janie and the distance between them has caused her to feel more strongly for him since she has been thinking of him all day.

Tea Cake is thought of as “a bee to a blossom--a pear tree blossom in the spring, ” he is allowing Janie (the blossom) to advance/grow since the bee (Tea Cake) is the factor that allows that growth. In Janie’s case, the growth of the blossom is her personal confidence/independence. Since thought specifies that the “pear tree blossom in spring, ” spring represents the potential that allows the two components (bee and the blossom) to interact and generate that personal growth (pollination) to help the tree grow and help the bee stay attracted to the tree as there will be more blossoms to pollinate.

At this point, Janie is bland. . . she has no flavor in her life to help her grow, but with the introduction of Tea Cake in her life and how “Spices hung about him, ” he is that flavor to Janie’s substance. Tea Cake “seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps, ” which shows how he has taken Janie out of her world, that his “footsteps” are leading her to personal growth. Though Jody walked with/guided her, his intentions were for his own advancement unlike Tea Cake’s. Tea Cake doesn’t stop walking with her on the journey to her growth, not for his own benefit. . . but for Janie’s. With the Juxtaposition of “crushing aromatic herbs, ” those sweet smells of the herbs stuck with him, in which he used those scents to give flavor to Janie’s life. Not only does he give favor to Janie, Tea Cake “was a glance from God, ” which references the title of the novel which implies that God isn’t just present in a church or through religious practice. . . his presence is unlimited and shown through people/substances. Janie sees God in Tea Cake, as she still doesn’t know much about him, which is why it’s only a “Glance”. She still feels God’s presence within Tea Cake and that he will guide Janie out of her world, that he will be the bee to her blossom that lets that pear tree grow and show color.

“‘Ah ain’t grievin’ so why do Ah hafta mourn? Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it. Jody ain’t never in his life picked out no color for me. De world picked out black and white for mournin’, Joe didn’t. So Ah wasn’t wearin’ it for him. Ah was wearin’ it for de rest of y’all. ’” (Page 113)

Janie addresses the gossip of the sitters quite defiantly. She argues that wearing the color blue is a justified decision because Tea Cake chose it for her, and Jody never had a preferred color for her. Blue is symbolic of Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake. During one of their first nights together, Tea Cake played blues music on Janie’s piano. Blues music often indicates a longing for a better life as a strike against injustice. Therefore, Tea Cake’s serenation was his promise of a future in which she could experience greater freedom. This contrasts her past marriage to Jody, in which she was expected to work the store under his rules and act as a mayor’s wife should. Blue is typically associated with men, just as pink is considered a feminine color. By asking her to wear blue, Tea Cake is encouraging her to break out of the constraints of gender roles. Janie plays checkers, hunts, and participates in intelligent conversation, all of which are primarily men’s activities. It shows her sense of masculinity and ability to find freedom in her relationship with Tea Cake.

Janie personifies “de world” stating that it designated the colors black and white to be for mourning. This illustrates the societal expectations of the sitters that Janie is responding to. Society chose these lifeless colors to symbolize respect for the dead, but Janie finds no value in them. They have no personal connection to her dead husband, and he never bothered to give her life color. Wearing black or white would be to satisfy the expectations of the world, which she found entirely meaningless. The contrasting diction of “grievin’” and “mourn” is Janie’s refusal to act according to the world; she will not put on a show if she does not feel compelled to. Colors should be representative of people and personal connections, not the decisions of the world.

Janie’s argument demonstrates her character development. She assumes a very defensive tone and stands her ground. Here, she has found that her relationship with Tea Cake has a connection that she didn’t have in previous marriages and she is willing to fight for it. Janie has abandoned any desire to please the people around her. Wearing Tea Cake’s color parallels her newfound freedom because she chose this relationship on her own. She was not influenced by Nanny or the judgemental eyes of others.

“Which one do you want? It all depends on you” “Oh, if you’se treatin’ me tuh it, Ah b’lieve Ah’ll take de passenger train. If it blow up Ah’ll still be on land. ” “Choose de battleship if dat’s whut you really want. Ah know where one is right now. Seen one round Key West de other day. ” “How you gointuh git it. ” “Ah shucks, dem Admirals is always ole folks. Can’t no ole man stop me from gittin’ no ship for yuh if dat’s whut you want. Ah’d git dat ship out from under him so slick till he’d be walkin’ de water lak ole Peter befo’ he knowed it. ” (pg. 101)

Tea Cake is again proving how different he is from other men, as he is telling Janie to choose which object she would like. Although unrealistic, Tea Cake is willing to “steal” either a passenger train or battleship for Janie if that was what she desired and although he doesn’t think it is hard, the act would still constitute risk, effort, and time. He is also now giving her control over something other than her hair and is extinguishing any doubts Janie had about him. Janie now realizes that Tea Cake is not trying to take advantage of her and might actually be the “bee to her blossom” that she has been desperately seeking in her two previous marriages. Tea Cake is explaining how he would steal the ship from the old Admirals by describing how “slick” he would be. He alludes to the bible story of Peter walking on water through faith, but almost drowns as doubt enters his mind. He argues that he could be so inspiring that, like Jesus, he could convince the Admiral to come walk on the water. Although it is stealing, Tea Cake believes it is important to gift Janie whatever she desires.

At this point of the book, Janie has been pushing towards her personal horizon and has learned the limits of herself. She is not attracted to Logan, limiting her love, and is caged socially by Jody. It is only through Tea Cake where Janie realizes she can travel the seas of uncertainty, but this realization has not yet occurred. She doesn’t want a ship, but instead chooses a train. She argues that if it “blows up” she would still be on land. Janie is not ready to risk herself over the uncontrollable sea and wants a comfortable path towards her horizon, but eventually learns that this can only be achieved over the sea. Men sail ships, catch fish to bring back, and travel their own horizons, but women are often excluded from these. For most women, men are the only way to travel across the sea and achieve their desires, but men do not want to shift power over to women. Again, Tea Cake is different and is offering to steal a ship for Janie to travel with him. She is hesitant, however, as Tea Cake has to almost force the idea into Janie. This is the beginning of Janie’s transformation into the independent woman she will become when she will no longer need a ship or train. She will be able to either pull in her horizon or walk towards it, without a ship, on the water like Peter.