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Their Eyes Were Watching God Symbolism

Decent Essays

Zora Neale Hurston is the author of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. In this novel the main character, a female protagonist named Janie goes on a journey of self-discovery. Through this journey, Janie fatefully encounters Tea Cake her true love. Tea Cake is an ideal mate for Janie because he helps her achieve freedom. This is displayed In chapter twenty when she is reminiscing about Tea Cake. She declares that “The kiss of his [Tea Cake] memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace”(Hurston 227). It is through Tea Cake’s love and his fate that Janie finds her peace. Janie would have never found this true inner peace without him. Tea Cake treats Janie differently than all her previous spouses. Tea Cake is the first …show more content…

Evidence to support this claim can be found just after the two have their fish fry date within chapter 12. Tea Cake is found “... combing her hair and scratching the dandruff from her scalp”(Hurston 122). Hurston likes to use symbolism and Janie’s hair is a symbol of her power and independence. Here Tea Cake is found enjoying the beauty of her hair, which is a symbol that Tea Cake only encourages her independence not elicit it. Another argument can be made to support the claim Tea Cake is not an ideal mate. In chapter 17 Tea Cake ,who fears he is losing his power over Janie, beats her. “ Being able to whip her reassured him in possession”(Hurston 172). If Tea Cake was the ideal mate for Janie he would not have to beat her to show his power. Domestic violence for whatever reason is not right and an argument can be easily made that this act disqualifies him from being her perfect mate. What is different about Tea Cake is that he did not hit Janie out of malice or hatred. He hit Janie in order to show his possession over her. This is a common thing done in the time period, and that is why Tea Cake is the ideal mate for

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