Discussion Questions Ch. 11-12

  1. 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.
  1. 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 opinion, it might be a little overprotective because Hezekiah might think that Janie isn’t ready for a relationship so he thinks that the next guy she should go out should be really good in his standards.
  1. Is Janie’s guard down with Tea Cake? Should she be more careful with him?

  • She might be letting her guard down a little because she sees something different in him that she has always been looking for. She should be a little more careful since they haven’t known each other for very long so she should still be a little protective of her feelings because things always change in the future.
  • Janie might be a little defensive, but overall has her guard down because she doesn’t find a reason in Tea Cake for the wall to be up. She maybe needs to be a little more careful with Tea Cake because she might think she knows what she’s doing but again, she has never had a relationship with a man like him so she should be a little cautious.

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