Their Eyes Were Watching God

Why might have Janie assimilated to life with Tea Cake after his abuse? Has she or has she not assimilated to life with him? Why/why not? She might have stayed with Tea Cake after his abuse because she knows that he doesn’t usually hit her so he might not do it again. She has assimilated life with Tea Cake because she is already older and she maybe might as well just stay with Tea Cake. If you were Janie, what would be a motivation to stay with an abusive husband? Some motivation would be because they are economically stable, which is something that really attracts some people who want to have a stable life but come from a poor family. Another motivation would be because she loves who they were before they became abusive. She probably hopes that they will return to be the same man that she came to know, so she stay with him. What would you have done if you were in Janie and Tea Cake’s situation? Would you have been afraid? I think that they were scared...

Chapter 19-20 Discussion questions: Should the men of the muck feel bad for the way they treated Janie back at the trial? Was it smart for Janie to leave the Everglades even if she has nothing? What is the significance of the seeds Janie takes? She plans to plant them wherever she settles down in remembrance of Tea Cake her true love. Did Janie live a full life? Janie has experienced so much of loss, love, etc, that she has gained knowledge for herself and her likes. Therefore, she has lived a full life. Has Janie grown since the beginning of the book? I believe Janie has grown since the beginning of the book because of the experiences she has had to go through. Characters: No new characters Illustration: Summary: After Tea Cake’s funeral, the men of the muck realize how poorly they treated Janie; to appease their feelings of guilt, they beat Mrs. Turner’s brother and run him out of town again. Since the Everglades mean nothing to J...

Mrs. Turner is very clearly prejudiced. How does Janie react to her? Why does Mrs. Turner like Janie? Janie acted friendly to Mrs. Turner at first to be nice, but then later on Janie would be mean and ignore Mrs. Turner because of her racist remarks. Mrs. Turner still likes Janie because Janie is light skinned people because they look similar to her, she doesn’t like dark skinned people like Tea Cake. Janie doesn’t like her very much because she keeps telling Janie to leave Tea Cake and go with Mrs. Turner’s brother’s whose educated. Janie doesn’t like Mrs. Turner because of her persistence even though Janie continually tells her she is not interested. Why doesn’t Mrs. Turner like Tea Cake? This is because Mrs. Turner doesn’t like dark skinned people and she doesn’t think Tea Cake is good enough for Janie. Also because she thinks that her brother is a better match for Janie than Tea Cake. Why does Hurston call Mr. Turner’s laugh “powerless”? How is he charac...

Chapter 17-18 Discussion Questions: What is the significance behind Tea Cake wanting to impress/please Mrs. Turner? Why might have Janie assimilated to life with Tea Cake after his abuse? Has she or has she not assimilated to life with him? Why/why not? If you were Janie, what would be a motivation to stay with an abusive husband? Why do you think Motor Boat decided to stay and not escape the storm with Tea cake and Janie the second time? What would you have done if you were in Janie and Tea Cake’s situation? Would you have been afraid? How do you think they will recover from the storm itself and how do you think the community will recover? Characters: Coode & Dick Sterrett: Drunk workers who cause havoc at Mrs. Turner’s business, and end up wrecking it, while causing a fight as well. Motor Boat: Worker that decides to stay with Tea Cake during the storm, leaves with Tea Cake and Janie once the storm hits, and doesn’t flee afterwards with Tea Cake after t...

Chapter 15-16 Discussion Questions: Why is Tea Cake ashamed and why does Janie hit him? Mrs. Turner is very clearly prejudiced. How does Janie react to her? Why does Mrs. Turner like Janie? Why doesn’t Mrs. Turner like Tea Cake? Why does Hurston call Mr. Turner’s laugh “powerless”? How is he characterized? Why? How does Hurston dialogue change in this chapter? Characters: Nunkie: a chunky girl who flirts with Tea Cake in the fields. Sop-de-Bottom: a friend of Tea Cake and Nunkie. Mrs. Turner: a funny-looking, conceited woman, talks all the time about the evils of black people. She is black. Mr. Turner: husband of Mrs. Turner. He is a depressed, passive man dominated by his wife and drained by the deaths of several of his children. Illustration: Summary: Janie gets really jealous that Tea Cake and Nunkie been hanging out alot together. She feels that Nunkie is trying to take away Tea Cake away from her and is flirting with him. One day, Tea ...

What could lead Tea Cake to do so much for Janie? Do you believe they are as in love as they say they are? A reality they are trying to hide? Since Tea Cake used up her money, he probably felt guilty for using it and he probably really wanted to show Janie that he wasn’t a leech, so he went and won the money from gambling. They probably are very much in love but there are obstacles that make readers think otherwise, but to them, they only see that they are in love. Tea Cake maybe wanted to show Janie that he can rely on him even when he messes up. Although a couple can say they’re in love, they show signs of not being in love. In this case, they show that they’re in love by the actions they take and the things they say (i.e Tea Cake saying he will provide for Janie). Do you think that Janie’s journey with her lovers, and the places she’s lived, represents something deeper in her life? Why or why not? It may represent how there are many ups and downs in life. It may ...

Chapter 13-14 Discussion Questions: What do you think could’ve led Janie to want to seek a better life in Eatonville? What could lead Tea Cake to do so much for Janie? Do you believe they are as in love as they say they are? A reality they are trying to hide? What do you think is the importance of the horizon throughout the novel, and especially at this point in the story? Do you think that Janie’s journey with her lovers, and the places she’s lived, represents something deeper in her life? Why or why not? Can Tea Cake’s actions towards Janie  resemble his name, or have any significance in regards to his name? Why or why not? Characters: Who Flung: Charmind rascal who ripped the people of Eatonville off, and the widow Mrs. Tyler: ripped off by Who Flung Illustration: Summary: Janie no longer resides in Eatonville and goes to Jacksonville, where she and Teacake have planned their marriage. Janie’s paranoia increased, and didn’t want to be ripp...

Do you think Janie is ashamed or embarrassed of being with Tea Cake? She takes him out of town to avoid gossip; is she caring too much about what people think about her? She doesn’t seem to be very ashamed or embarrassed because she feels that she’s at an age and point in her life where she chooses what to do with her life and she accepts the negativity that comes with her choices. She doesn’t really care what people say because she puts her happiness above everything now that she has finally found a man that shows her the love that she has always been looking for. Do you think Hezekiah had the right to tell Janie that Tea Cake is “too low of a man for her”? Or does she have a right as her friend to speak her mind? He does have a right because he is her friend and if he thinks that, then he should at least tell her his opinion. However, he might be crossing the line because after all, it is Janie’s love life, not his. Although Hezekia might be expressing his opin...

Chapter 11-12 Discussion Questions: Do you think Janie is ashamed or embarrassed of being with Tea Cake? She takes him out of town to avoid gossip; is she caring too much about what people think about her? Do you think Hezekiah had the right to tell Janie that Tea Cake is “too low of a man for her”? Or does she have a right as her friend to speak her mind? Do you think Tea Cake is taking advantage of Janie and her wealth? Is he just using her or are his feelings legit? Is Janie’s guard down with Tea Cake? Should she be more careful with him? Is it a good idea for Janie to go to the town picnic with Tea Cake or not? Why/ why not? Characters: no new characters Illustration: Summary: These chapters sum up Janie’s newfound relationship and how she is feeling unsure about it. She loves the feeling that Tea Cake gives her, and she even tells Phoebe that Tea Cake treats her how she wants to be treated. He is nothing like Jody and Janie dislikes the fact that when ...

Does Janie get the right to say she is isn’t sad that Jody died? She does and she doesn’t at the same time. This is because she was the one that chose to marry Jody, so it is kind of rude to say that she is glad that he is now gone. However, Jody did end up treating her badly by verbally abusing her so then she does get the right to say she is finally free of him. Now that Jody has died, Janie can say this because she is free of him and she can act anyway she feels like as a widow. Do you think that Janie will marry again? If so, what kind of man? She might marry again since there are a lot of guys that are constantly visiting her. She might not marry anyone, maybe just date them because she has already been married twice and might not want another marriage at her age. She might go out with a man who always loves her and always puts her first. She might be a little cautious at first to see if he truly loves her but then will eventually trust him a lot. Shoul...