Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Joe and Janie engaged in many conversations throughout their time together. One day, they get into an argument. The argument resulted in the fact that Janie could not find any pigs feet for a customer. Janie has told Joe that she ordered a whole keg of pigs feet the day before but when the customer went to get some, there wasnt any left. Joe then asked Janie where the bill for the pigs feet was. Janie replied that its either on the nail or on his desk. Joe said that it was in neither places and he accused Janie for being incompetent. Months later, after Joe dies, Janie meets a man by the name of Vergible Woods also known as Tea Cake. She becomes fond of him and they have a very pleasant conversation. There are many differences and similarities between Joes conversation with Janie and Tea Cakes conversation with Janie and they both show Janies evolving relationship with men in many ways.
On page 71, in lines 11-13 Joe tells Janie exactly how he feels about her and all women in general. Janie tries to tell Joe that she knows several things too and that women have a mind of their own. Joe however ignores her irrelevant comment and says the following: “Aw naw they dont. They just think theys thinkin. When Ah see one thing Ah understand ten. You see ten things and dont understand one.” According to that quote, Joe is putting Janie on a level way below his own. He is making Janie feel that she will never be equal to him and now that Janie has messed up, she knows that his anger towards her is inevitable. Tea Cake on the other hand makes Janie feel the exact opposite way of how Joe makes her feel. In the conversation between Janie and Tea Cake, lines 26-28 clearly show that. The following is said: “He set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it was natural for her to play”. Those lines show that Tea Cake views Janie just as he views himself. He does not express any hierarchy like Joe does. He treats Janie in a way that makes her feel equal to men. Now that we have discussed some of the many differences and similarities between Joes conversation with Janie and Tea Cakes conversation with Janie, we will discuss Janies evolving relationship with men.
Janie has always been struggling with her desire of reaching the horizon. Now that Tea Cake has made his arrival