Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tea Cake and Janie's relationship
The relationship between Janie and Tea Cake is quite different from her prior relationships. Janie's personality is more strong and independent. Janie's reason to be with Tea Cake was also different. Janie chooses to be with him ,because of his effervescent personality and acceptance of her personal growth. This is quite different from her other relationships ,because the prior men wanted to control and mold her. They also have a more enjoyable and adventurous relationship rather than a strict and serious relationship. In a sense, Tea cake is a essential part of Janie's personal growth, but she is also not dependent on Tea Cake. Tragically, they did not live a happily ever after, which was quite sad to read.
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Its interesting to compare Janie's relationship with Tea Cake to her relationship with Jody. There was a point in her time with Jody where she felt that "her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered" (233). This was because she had respected him a lot at first and all that he was making of himself, but she soon realized that all he wanted out of her was submission. She took to hiding her feelings from him and while she performed the wifely duty, her heart was not in it.
ReplyDeleteTea Cake, on the other hand, does not belittle her or make her feel inferior so that she will obey him. Instead, he believes in her and allows her to step outside the tight boundary lines that she had been in while married to Jody. He teaches her to play checkers, allows her to speak in public, takes her out fishing and brings her to work at his side. The two are equal partners, not a superior and a lesser that exists to make the superior look better.
Janie and Tea Cake's relationship was the best, and the most unique.It is because although they did not live happily ever after, they were in true deep compassionate love. When Janie had to shoot Tea Cake it was to protect herself. As she mourned his death she did so happily; not sadly. Why? because she had finally found true love and knew all its definitions.
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