A scene that describes Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is on page 110. During this scene, Janie and Tea Cake made their first public outing – a big town picnic. After this outing, the town begins to gossip about Janie’s newfound relationship with tea Cake in a very scandalous was. A scene that shows Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is on page 115. During this scene, Janie tells her good friend Pheoby that Tea Cake taught her the maiden language all over again. This means that Tea Cake taught Janie how to love again and how to open her heart.
This is a very important detail to Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship because Janie’s journey throughout this entire book is to find love with someone and also within herself. A scene that emphasizes the genuine love in Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is on page 167. In this scene, after Tea Cake saved Janie’s life, Janie confessed to Tea Cake how much she loved him and how thankful she was for him. This scene is so important because this shows us that Janie has finally found real love with someone. Janie met Tea Cake roughly six months after Jody’s death.
Janie felt no sadness from Jody’s death and was instantly drawn to Tea Cake. Janie and Tea Cake kept kept their newfound relationship a secret for a couple of weeks, but they then made their first public outing at the town’s big picnic. “It was after the picnic that the town began to notice things and got mad. Tea Cake and Mrs. Mayor Starks! All the men that she could get, and fooling with somebody like Tea Cake! Another thing, Joe Starks hadn’t been dead but nine months and here she goes sashaying off to a picnic in pink linen” (Hurston 110). This quote shows off a very scandalous side of Janie and Tea cake’s relationship.
For the time that Janie and Tea Cake were together when they were still living in the town of Eatonville, their relationship was considered very scandalous. Janie was much older and also much richer than tea Cake. Some thought that Tea Cake was just using Janie for her money. “But Janie, Tea Cake, whilst he ain’t no jail-bird, he ain’t got uh dime tuh cry. Ain’t you skeered he’s jes after yo’ money – him bein’ younger than you? (Hurston 112). This quote was said by Janie’s good friend Pheoby. This shows just one of many people in town who were suspicious of Tea Cake and his intentions with Janie.
Janie never paid any mind to the rumors circulating throughout the town. Tea Cake taught Janie how to love again and how to find her independence while also being committed to someone. “He done taught me the maiden language all over” (Hurston 115). This quote enhances the fact that Tea cake makes Janie feel young. The maiden language, mentioned by Janie represents Tea Cake teaching Janie how to love again and how to open her heart. This also represents Tea Cake teaching Janie how to remain independent, and stay committed in a relationship, which is something that she never knew how to do before.
After getting married and moving to the glades, Janie and Tea Cake were finally able to begin their life together, without receiving any negative attention. Janie and Tea Cake had a genuinely good and loving relationship. Tea Cake deeply loved Janie and most importantly, he respected her; which is something that neither of Janie’s former husbands could do. Logan was always disapproving of Janie’s independence and Jody felt insecure about Janie’s independence, which is why he would not let her have any independance. Tea Cake did not mind Janie’s independence, in fact he even admired it.
While Tea Cake respected Janie and her independance, he did feel a need to control Janie. For example, in chapter 17, Tea Cake beat Janie to prove that he still controlled her. “Before the week was over he had whupped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. being able to whip her reassured him in possession” (Hurston 148). This quote emphasizes the control aspect of Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship. While Tea Cake let’s Janie have her independence, he feels the need to control her for his own jealousy issues.
After Tea Cake beat Janie, he felt bad and spoiled her the next day. Janie harbored no bad feelings toward Tea Cake. lanie and Tea Cake’s relationship is also fun and full of adventure and in that sense, Tea Cake made Janie feel young and alive. The outcome of Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is tea Cake’s death. Tea Cake died because he saved Janie’s life. Due to a hurricane that occurred in chapter 18, Janie and Tea Cake are forced to leave their home. In the process of finding safety, Janie gets thrown into water and is nearly attacked by a dog.
To save her, Tea Cake fights off the dog and kills the dog, but is bit in the process of doing so. This is yet another act of kindness that Tea Cake did for janie that shower her how much he truly loved her. “Ah never ‘spected nothin’, tea cake, but bein dead from the standin’ still tryin tuh laugh. But you come ‘long and made somethin’ outa me. So Ah’m thankful fuh anything we come through together” (Hurston 167). This quote shows Janie fully confessing to Tea Cake how much she loves him and how thankful she is for him. This quote is so important because it shows us how real and genuine Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is.
After saving janie’s life and finding safety, Janie and Tea Cake resume their life and continue working. A few weeks after the storm, Tea Cake begins to feel ill. After calling a doctor, Janie discovers that Tea Cake got rabies from the rabid dog that he fought off of Janie. Janie knows that this disease will ultimately kill Tea Cake, because of how much this disease has progressed. One day, when Tea Cake is completely delusional because of his disease, he tries to shoot Janie. In self defense, Janie is forced to shoot and kill Tea Cake.
It’s ironic that Janie ad to kill Tea Cake because of how much she loved him. Janie has changed so much since the beginning of the book and since meeting Tea Cake. For example, she has became a lot stronger. She knows how to stand up for herself and have a voice. And after finally finding love with the right person, Janie was strong enough to kill him in self defense. Janie also learned how to keep her independence while remaining married, which was something that she had struggled this before. Most importantly, Janie completed her journey. She found real love in someone else, but also in herself.