Friday, May 23, 2014
What intrigues you most about TEWWG?
At this point, we've finished the novel, explored symbolic moments, disucssed societal norms, debated whether Janie has changed and sought ways to connect Janie's life to our own. After these various types of exploration,what are the issues or topics that continue to intrigue and interest you about this novel? You may write about any topic you see fit--characters, social issues, scenes, moments, etc. it's up to you! Just tell us what you are still interested in, wondering about, loving, hating, etc.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As we all know, Janie marries three men in TEWWG. She has very different relationships with each of them; each of the relationships somehow impacts her life, her thoughts, her feelings, etc. However, all three of the marriages have ended; Janie's first husband left her. Her second husband passed away. Lastly, her her third husband, Tea Cake, was murdered by her (for self-defense purposes). Her first two marriages were similar in the sense that they started with "consuming", "inconvenient" love. By this I mean that they had a base built off of love-at-first-sight and passion. Her first husband didn't respect her wishes (by having her work outside rather than inside). Her second husband cooped her inside the store all day and also did not respect her. Janie made it very clear that Tea Cake, however, was her true love. She mourned when he passed away unlike when Jody passed. She loved Tea Cake and Tea Cake loved her. I am always left questioning how she eventually found the right man in the end. Did her first two marriages impact her tactics of choosing? If she hadn't been with Logan or Jody, who would she have ended up with? Was it just fate that brought her to Tea Cake, or was it Janie using her knowledge from previous relationships? I'm always haunted by this question. In other words, I want to know what she has learned from her first two marriages? The book may hide this answer, but it most certainly doesn't outright say it.
ReplyDeleteWhat interested me so much in the latter end of the novel is how Tea Cake manages to look so innocent and fun in the beginning of his and Janie's relationship, but then turns out to be such a bad guy. When they first met, no one could really see any signs about how he might be a danger to Janie (besides being young). He was always the perfect gentleman, never laying a hand on her or stealing anything. How did he manage to stay so calm? I'm sure there were times when he wanted to hit her and scream like he does after they had been married for several months, but how did he suppress those feelings? Even though Tea Cake did seem good through some parts of their marriage, he also hit her and stole her possessions. If he managed to do these things without feeling any apparent remorse or regret, did he even ever love Janie at all?
ReplyDeleteAlso, another question that I have been interested in and wondering about is did Janie love Tea Cake still towards the end of their marriage?
DeleteI believe that Janie still loved Tea Cake, but she realized that the only way for her to survive was to kill Tea Cake. It showed that she was an independent woman making a logical decision. Tea Cake was so sick that he probably would have killed Janie, so it was better for both of them (Janie could be safe and TeaCake was out of his misery/sickness)
DeleteSomething about TEWWG that intrigues me is how the author was constantly changing the way that I felt about Janie. Her actions constantly contradicted what I expected of her, which made it difficult for me to decide whether or not I liked her. In the very beginning of the book I had no opinion of Janie because she seemed flat and simple. When she was a young girl sitting under a tree and thinking about marriage, she was cute and innocent, so I was fond of her character. But as the book went on, I began to really dislike Janie. She was unbelievably naive for running off with men that she didn't know, and that irritated me to no end. I didn't like Janie until she finally told off Joe. I felt proud of her and was glad that her character seemed to be developing. But then she ran off and got married to Tea Cake (eerily similar to Joe, of course) and so she began to annoy me again. For the few pages in the book where Janie was missing her money and wondering where Tea Cake was, I began to feel sorry for her. It wasn't Janie's fault that she was so naive! When Tea Cake forced her to stay in their home during the storm, I felt terrible for Janie. It was also sad that Tea Cake had to save her from the mad dog as if she was still a child. At the end of the book when Janie rearranged the bullets in Tea Cake's gun and hid the rest of the ammunition, she seemed like more of an adult. I was amazed that through all of her love for Tea Cake, she was still able to see that he was a danger to her. Based on Janie's character in the rest of the book, I had assumed that Janie would be the one who ended up killed. Also, when she shot Tea Cake, I felt like I should have been angry at someone... But I wasn't, because Tea Cake was dangerous and he would have died anyway. When Janie killed him, it was as if she had finally killed her dream to find true love. In that moment she had found security in herself, so I finished the book loving Janie despite all the times I had been irritated with her. I'm curious if anyone had a constant opinion of Janie. To me, it just doesn't seem possible.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that still interest me within the novel but the one thing that comes to mind it the town Janie lived in with Joe. Since Joe was the "head" of the town, what became of the town afterwards? Was Janie the new "head" of the town, had they found someone else to look up to, or were they left in the state that Joe had first found them in? I would also want to know what had happened to the town while Janie was away with Tea Cake. As a last comment, I found that I disliked or maybe even hated the ending because it did not satisfy my need for a good and or rational ending. The whole ending of Janie killing Tea Cake was too intense of a way to cut things off when throughout the whole book nothing of that magnitude had happened. The ending had too much of an emotional conflict for me to have liked it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Richie. Thinking about what happened to Jody's town after Janie left intrigued me. Jody was the mayor of the town, and the book didn't mention the fact that there were any other town officials to go along with Jody. When Jody died, the book doesn't mention who really was the new mayor. None of the townspeople were elected as mayor, and it didn't seem like Janie was mayor. Janie did still own the store, so people might have still thought of her as a high ranking women, but she didn't have any governmental position. I just find it very weird that the book doesn't even mention what happens after Jody dies and Janie leaves. They were two of the most important people in the town, and both of them were gone. It bothered me that the author didn't feel the need to include even just a quick explanation.
DeleteWhen Janie killed Tea Cake in the end, I was very surprised by her actions because she repeatedly talked about how life with Tea Cake was impossible to imagine. However, why did Hurston have to kill Tea Cake in order to show that Janie had finally changed? I love the fact that she did change and became independent as a woman but it bothered me that the only way Janie could reach this part of her life was for someone else to lose theirs. Also, what is the lesson of this novel? Reading this novel, I know I learned that being independent and being able to speak your mind is a right that any and everyone should have. However, was that the lesson that Hurston was trying to portray?
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really interests me in the novel TEWWG is how the order of Janie's marriages affected her relationships with her three husbands. Her original pursuit of love with passion made sure of her lack of satisfaction in her first marriage. However, sometimes I feel like if she didn't marry Logan first, she might not hate him that much. Maybe if she went through Jody first, she would not that willingly trade someone who pampers her for the virtual 'horizon' and the ambition that Jody promised her with. She might feel like someone like Logan would allow her more time for her to do whatever she wanted to accomplish. The same thing applies with Tea Cake. I always wonder that if Janie did not already first experience being pampered and protected then had the experience of reaching the horizon, she would not feel as satisfied and fulfilling with her life after experiencing the independence with Tea Cake. Therefore, although Janie herself thinks that Tea Cake was really the one for her, I think that all three relationships she had were essential to her discovering her identity and finally having a fulfilling life.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that interested me in the novel was the idea of chasing the horizon. In this post-civil war era, this is the first time in hundreds of years that African-Americans had some type of opportunity. And, we see that very much with Joe, Tea Cake, and even Logan. But with Janie, it seems a bit different. She doesn't see this new age as a chance to live a comfortable life, a life where you live with all the glittering products capitalism has to offer. She just wants to find love. It is a classic trial that is seen throughout human history. What interests me is the more modern setting and ideals surrounded by Janie's internal theme of love. It is a very intriguing dynamic.
ReplyDeleteI want to expand on Amir's comment because I am also interested in the way that she doesn't seem to show any interest in the opportunities that have just been put out in the novel. I wonder if Hurston was purposely making the guys in the novel seek for new opportunities. Janie's horizon was clearly finding true love, which everyone agreed in class. I also find it interesting how Hurston created Janie's internal theme of love a very modern way of loving and feeling towards men. The way that Janie's character was presented and the way that the readers were to portray her feelings was a very in depth and interesting way to create this character.
DeleteI'm intrigued most at how Hurston's writing, on the surface, appears to be about independence and identity, but after a closer look it appears to be a criticism that explores the idea of inter-group oppression. Throughout reading the novel and completing all of the exercises in class, I had a set idea about what the author was trying to convey. I've realized that the author is trying to convey multiple things in this text, but one of the most important underlying themes is inter-group oppression. Much of this oppression is explored through the everyday interaction of the people in Eatonville and the Muck. I love that this is an element that is being criticized in this novel. It is something that is still relevant in today's times and Hurston is a pioneer in addressing such an issue, especially within the black community.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I loved is Janie's exploration of identity and development. The way she went about discovering who she was, was beautifully crafted. I also think it was very relatable and didn't seem over the top. I'm always surprised by writers and what they chose to incorporate in their stories--in terms of how their writing seems just like any other story, but there are so many underlying themes that go beyond the average themes like 'treat others how they want to be treated', etc. Hurston does a fantastic job of this with her writing. I'm pleased very much with Hurston as a writer. She never ceases to amaze me.
What intrigued me in the novel was Janie's beauty. While it seems like beauty would be a good thing for a person, this is not particularly true for Janie. Janie's dream was always to find love and to find her soulmate. Janie's beauty was emphasized since the beginning of the story, so one would have expected that Janie would have been able to take her pick from all the men she met, but that was not the truth. Janie was married off to Logan Killicks early on, and had no chance to date or meet many men her age. Later, Jody used Janie for her beauty. He married her so that he could have the best, and be the best. As a result, their marriage was miserable for Janie. In fact, Janie found her soulmate in Tea Cake, who was the only man that loved her for more than her looks. He appreciated her personality and her abilities. Even later in the novel, Mrs. Turner tried to use Janie for her beauty. She thought that Janie was of a higher social class because of her light skin and her good looks. I just find it interesting that Janie's beauty caused her so much trouble in the story when beauty was portrayed as such a big deal and a huge asset in the society in the story.
ReplyDeleteWhat intrigued me the most TEWWG is not any particular concept in the book, more of how that author was able to make us feel. Hurston did a great job of playing with our thoughts and emotions throughout Janie's story. In the beginning we are like Janie, naïve of what's to come, full of hopes for the dreams that Janie has for her married life. Then Hurston knocks us down a peg when Janie marries Logan, questioning if Janie will ever find true love. Then in comes Jody, representing promise and dreams and hopefully, for the benefit of Janie, the horizon. Yet after ten years of mistreatment and submission, Janie's love life fails us. Personally, these two experiences alone made me distrust Tea Cake from the start. The misfortune that Hurston gives Janie makes me doubt that our main character will ever find love. All the questionable thing that Tea Cake does in the book drove me crazy because she treated Janie so right, yet so wrong at the same time. I never knew when I could trust Tea Cake. When the book ended, Hurston left me wishing that I had trusted Tea Cake the whole time, because all though he made mistakes, such as taking Janie's two hundred dollars without permission, he truly loved Janie. And that is more than I could say for Logan and Jody, the men who let jealousy and power get in the way of giving Janie, and probably any other women the associated with, what she deserved.
ReplyDelete