Since Jody's death, Janie is much more free than she has been in a long time. Her relationship with Tea Cake in this chapter highlights this. They go fishing and play games together, Tea Cake teaches Janie how to drive, and they have a lot more equality in their relationship than Janie has had in any of her previous ones.
However, there are still some restrictions forced upon Janie, including those of the townspeople and their view on how society should be. They disapprove of Janie and Tea Cake's relationship because of their age difference, because Tea Cake is from out of town, because Tea Cake is poor and Janie is relatively well-off, because they think she ought to still be mourning Jody, and because some of the men are jealous of Tea Cake, having wanted to court Janie themselves. In addition, twice it is mentioned that Janie is wearing blue because Tea Cake loves how she looks in it, showing that his opinion of her has a huge influence on her behavior and she is seeking his approval. Between the limitations of society and Janie's own desire to be reassured of her self-worth by Tea Cake, is Janie really as free as she first appears to be?
I don't think Janie is really as free as she first appears to be, but I think she is definitely more free than she was with Jody. In the book it appears that Janie chooses Tea Cake and is free to live whichever way she wants, which is hardly true. She still has to stay somewhat subservient and can't do whatever she wants. On the other hand, she does have newfound freedoms like wearing her hair down and choosing what to do with the store, which she definitely couldn't do with Jody. Her situation with Tea Cake is an improvement, but still not utopian.
ReplyDeleteI do believe Janie is much freer than she was while she was with Jody because even thought the town does put limitations on her relationship with Tea Cake, Janie and Jody don't follow them necessarily. Yes, the town has some negative thoughts regarding Janie and Tea Cake's relationship, but they continue seeing each other regardless. Now about Janie's desire to please Tea Cake. I think she likes pleasing him and she is willingly doing things that Tea Cake likes which is something that she is doing with her newfound freedom. If Tea Cake was forcing her to do things and Janie wasn't happy in her relationship, then I would be worried that she was feeling trapped, but the fact that Janie is enjoying herself shows that she is free to do what she wants.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I believe that all relationships are restraining. Whenever someone else enters your life, your life becomes about two people and not just one which is bond to be in some ways different. However, I don't really see the ways that Tea Cake changes her to be in any way "threatening." In other words, I don't think that he's really doing anything to restrain a part of her personality. More freedoms come from this relationship than restrictions. I don't see Janie dressing in blue because that's what Tea Cake likes a real threat. Although I see how it could be seen as her adjusting her personality for him, I really just interpreted it more as Janie publicly getting over Jody because she wears blue instead of black and dresses with her hair down. If anything, this makes me like Tea Cake more as a character because he is encouraging her to move on and love again so she can eventually find true happiness and love. Also, in my opinion the color blue also has a sublime, non-restrictive feel to it due to all the remarkable, vast things that are blue like the sky and the ocean. I don't see Tea Cake as a threat to Janie's freedom.
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