Name: Brittany Nicole Powell
Wednesday, March 17
Due Date
Post to Wikispaces on YOUR page. No Exceptions! See me by Monday, March 15th
if you are having difficulties posting. Do NOT wait until the night before or the day
of to see if the post works!
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
Study Questions
Foreword by Mary Helen Washington
1. What do you learn here about ZNH including when she lived and died plus her claim
to fame?
She lived from 1891 to 1960. Her book is a best seller of African American literature but
was not liked before.
2. When was TEWWG written and published?
It was written in 1937 and published.
3. Why were writers/critics such as Richard Wright so condemning of the novel?
Critics thought she wrote it as a laugh for whites, and that it did not have the value of
historical fiction of the current society.
4. What caused a revival of interest in ZNH and TEWWG in the 1970s?
There were expanding interests in African American literature and black women
literature, and new black studies in school.
Chapter 1
1. How are men and women different with regard to their dreams and lives, according to
the first two paragraphs?
Guys see their dreams as something that will not come true to and will always stay a
dream. Where as women go after their dreams until they come true.
2. What does the reader learn about Janie in paragraph three that none of the other
characters in chapter one knows about her? Define the literary term dramatic irony and
explain whether this secret information we learn about Janie exemplifies dramatic irony
or not.
Dramatic iron is that the audience knows something that the characters do not. She had
just got back from burying the dead.
3. What type of incident could have caused Janie to bury people as mentioned in
paragraph three? Why do you suppose that ZNH keeps that and other particulars about
Janie from us?
The murder it made the novel suspenseful.
4. Except for Pheoby, how do the women on the porch regard Janie? Why are they so
negative about her? What inferences do they make about her? Upon what are these
inferences based?
They judge her, they envy her. They gossip about how her husband left her because she
was older than him.
5. Do the men on the porch regard Janie as the women do or differently? Explain.
A lot different, they are guys they see a woman and her femininity.
6. How does Pheoby react to the other women's criticism of Janie? Why does Pheoby
visit Janie? What does Pheoby want to learn from Janie?
Phoeby gets mad and call them out on criticizing Janie. She brings her dinner because
they are good friends and she want to know what happened to her husband.
7. How did Janie obtain her money she left town with? Who is Tea Cake, and what is his
relationship to Janie? How much older or younger is he than Janie? What is your reaction
to their age difference? Why?
Tea cake, her husband died and left Janie his money. He is ten years younger that Janie it
did not really shock me that much because people have different kinds of relationships a
lot today.
8. What is Janie's reaction to the gossip from the women on the porch?
It makes her upset, but just tells them they gossip too much and does not really worry
about them.
9. According to Janie, what gossip about her from the women on the porch is untrue? Is
Janie poor? What is the truth about Janie's life, as far as she reveals it in this chapter?
Her husband died, he did not steal money or leave her. Janie is not poor because she still
has money in the bank.
10. What evidence is there in the first chapter that the novel is set in Florida in the late
1930s, focusing on African-Americans, with a woman as its main character, a woman
trying to discover her voice and true identity?
Tea Cake died and left her his money, so she did not have any reason to stay there without
him.
11. What is a frame story? Is TEWWG a frame story? Explain.
It is a story told, telling another story. The TEWWG is because it tells Janie’s story and
her past and the people around her.
12. What is the novel's point of view: first person, third person limited, omniscient,
objective, or something else? Explain.
The novel is omniscient. The narrator knows everything about all the characters.
13. Who is the novel's narrator? What do you know about the narrator? Describe the
voice and diction of the narrator and how it is different from the language of the novel's
characters.
You do not know who the narrator is, but his language and grammar is better than the
characters he writes about.
14. What is your reaction to the novel's use of black dialect? Explain. Do you find the
dialect difficult to read? Explain. Do you consider the dialect demeaning to AfricanAmericans? Why? How does ZNH justify her use of black dialect?
It’s harder for me to understand but it is not that bad. ZNH justifies here use because she
is black and she is describing the historical dialect.
15. What is Janie's motivation to tell Pheoby her life's story, which begins in the second
chapter? (see bottom of page 6) What seems to be Pheoby's main function in the novel?
Janie knew everybody wanted to hear it so she knew Phoeby would listen. Pheoby
seemed to be Janie’s Friend.
16. What unanswered questions-implied, not stated-are motivation for the reader to
continue? Do these questions "hook" your interest? Why? Do you think you already
know the answers to these "questions"? Explain.
It is weird the way she buried Tea Cakes, so it kind of looks like she murdered him.
Chapter 2
1. At the beginning of the chapter, the narrator says, "Janie saw her life like a great tree in
leaf . . . ." How was Janie's life "like a great tree in leaf"? Explain.
Her life is like a tree, because she is always reaching for more but she is as high as she
can get.
2. What discovery about herself did Janie make when she was about six? What was her
reaction to this discovery?
She discovered she was black, she was shocked and upset. She did not know the
difference in color.
3. Why was Janie raised by her grandmother, Nanny, instead of by her parents? How
would you describe Janie's childhood with Nanny? Explain.
Her childhood was better than most blacks because she was around nice and generous
whites.
4. Why kind of life had Nanny had as a young woman? Who had fathered Nanny's child,
"Leafy," who would grow up to become Janie's mother? What ever became of Janie's
father?
She was a slave. Leafy had a white dad, but her real dad ran off.
5. Why had Nanny taken her baby and escaped from the plantation? What would have
happened to her and her baby if they hadn't got away? Why?
Her master was going to lash her to death then sell Leafy.
6. What incident involving Janie causes Nanny to decide that she will have Janie marry
Logan Killicks? Why does Nanny believe Killicks will be a good husband for Janie?
What is Janie's feeling about the idea of marrying Killicks? Why? Do you believe Janie
should marry Killicks? Why or why not?
Nanny saw her kissing Johnny Taylor, so she wants her to marry killicks but Janie had
great wonderful ideas of marriage and this crushes them. I think Janie should marry who
she loves.
7. Nanny says to Janie, "Ah wanted to preach a great sermon about colored women sittin'
on high, but they wasn't no pulpit for me". What plans had Nanny had for Janie's mother,
and how did her plans relate to the quotation? What happened to Janie's mother at age
17? What became of Janie's mother afterwards? What does Janie have to do with Nanny's
quotation?
Nanny wanted Janie’s mother to be a teacher, Leafy was raped by her teacher at 17, and
got Pregnant.
8. Who was Janie's father? What has become of him?
The school teacher that raped Janie’s mother, who left.
9. At the end of the chapter, Nanny says, "Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked
plate." Explain what Nanny means by that statement. How is she like a "cracked plate"?
Do you agree? Why?
She was saying she was old but wise. Yes because when people get really old they loose
their value.
Chapter 3
1. At the beginning of the chapter, Janie asks, "Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of
the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?" What answers to those
questions does she find as the wife of Logan Killicks? Explain.
Her marriage to Logan did not end the loneliness or create love. She never grew to love
him, and by the end of the chapter leaves him because she found someone else.
2. Is Nannny sympathetic or unsympathetic about Janie's feelings about her marriage so
far with Logan Killicks? Why? With whom do you agree more-Janie or Nanny? Explain.
Nanny is unsympathetic, and tells Janie that she will change her mind with time. She
thinks the marriage to Logan was a great thing for Janie. I agree more with Janie, because
I do not believe in getting married for the sake of being “taken care of”.
3. Nannny says to Janie, "Lawd have mussy? Dat's the very prong all us black women
gits hung on. Dis love!" (22). What is Nanny talking about? Do you agree or disagree
with her? Why? What dream of Janie's is "dead" as a result of her marriage to Logan
Killicks? (See 24).
Nanny is talking about how Janie wants to leave Logan because she has not grown to
love him. I do not agree with her because I believe, for better or worse, marriage should
be about love. Her dream of marriage creating love is gone.
Chapter 4
1. How had Logan Killlicks begun to treat Janie differently from when they were just
married? Explain.
He stopped being romantic with her. He also told her to start helping him work and that
she was spoiled.
2. Why is Logan planning to buy two mules? What does he intend Janie to do with regard
to the mules? What is her reaction to Logan's plans?
To plow the “taters”. He wants to buy the second mule so Janie can plow. Her reaction is
that she does not want to do it, and she argues with Logan about it.
4. How does Janie meet Joe Starks? Describe how he looks and acts.
He was passing through, walking up the road, and she gave him some water. He acts and
looks rich, like a white person.
5. As soon as we learn Joe Starks's name, explain how we already know that Janie will
marry him, move to Eatonville, their marriage will end, she will leave Eatonville with
another man for south Florida, and later return home to Eatonville without the other man.
Even though we already know these facts, what about them do we not know yet? Explain.
We already know about it because it was mentioned in the first chapter. We do not know
exactly how her marriage with Starks will end, or what exactly happened to the other
man, and how they got together at first.
6. To Janie, Joe Starks "did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he
spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance.” What does this quotation mean,
literally, in your own words? Explain.
It means that she did not truly love him, but with him she could get away and probably
find better.
7. What justification does Logan give for being a good husband to Janie? Do you agree
with him? Explain. His justification is that he took out of whites kitchen, and has done
nothing but taken care of her and been good to her. I do agree with him somewhat
because he has taken care of her in many ways.
8. What justification does Janie give herself for leaving Logan to run off with Joe Starks?
Do you agree with her decision? Explain.
Her justification is that she doesn’t love Logan, and that he isn’t good enough for her. I
kind of agree, I do believe that she should have gotten divorced first at least.
9. Who is most to blame for the failure of Janie and Logan's marriage-Janie, Logan, or
Joe Starks? Explain.
Janie is, because she wasn’t truly willing to try from the beginning.
10. Do you believe that Joe Starks was right or wrong in courting Janie, a married
woman, and offering her an opportunity to run away from her husband to live to marry
and live with him instead? Explain.
I think it was wrong, personally, because in my opinion I think if someone is in a
relationship already, you leave them alone. It’s just not right to me.
11. Do you feel sorry for Logan Killicks after Janie leaves him? Why? Explain what you
think Logan will do next and tell why.
Yes, because he did want her, and he treated her well enough. I think that he will
probably just wait for Janie to come back, because of what he said to her.
12. "From now on until death she [Janie] was going to have flower dust and springtime
sprinkled over everything. A bee for her bloom" . Explain in your own words what this
quotation means.
I think it means that she is going to do what she wants to make herself happy from now
on.
13. What is your reaction to Janie's marrying Joe Starks when she is still married to
Logan Killicks? What is polygamy? Could Logan have had her arrested for polygamy?
What could have been Janie's punishment, if found guilty? Do you think it's likely that he
will? Why? Do you think Logan will try to take revenge on Joe Starks for stealing Janie
from him? Why? Explain.
What do we already know that might influence our opinions about these questions? I
thought it was wrong, because you can’t and shouldn’t be married to 2 people at once.
Polygamy is the practice or condition of having more than one spouse. He could actually
have her arrested for it, if he wanted to. If found guilty, her punishment could realistically
be death. I do not think that it is likely that he will because he is probably wanting Janie
to come back to him. I doubt he would try to take revenge on Starks because his character
just doesn’t seem that strong willed, in my opinion. What kind of influences me about
these questions is that Janie did not mention her old husband when it came to her present
life.
Chapter 5
1. Where do newlyweds Joe and Janie go to live? How does this town figure in the life of
ZNH? Why has Joe chosen this town as a place to live?
Eatonville. Joe chose this town to live so he could help create it and live without the
“white man’s rule”.
2. What is Joe and Janie's first impression of Eatonville? Why?
They are disappointed because it is very small and disorderly. It also looks kind of like a
slump.
3. Who are Amos Hicks and Lee Coker? What information about Eatonville do Joe and
Janie learn from them? What incorrect inference about Janie does Amos make?
They are residents in Eatonville. They learn the size of the town, what it is called, and
that it doesn’t have a mayor. Amos infers that Janie is Joe’s daughter.
4. Why is the idea of Joe Starks' buying land from Captain Eaton so funny to the gathered
men?
They think it is funny because rarely does a black man have the kind of money and will
that Joe Starks has.
5. How do the men of Eatonville regard Janie? What does Hicks attempt to do with Janie?
What is the result? What does Coker mean when he says to Hicks, "You can't get her
wid no fish sandwich" ?
They regard her as very pretty, and sort of eye candy. Hicks attempts to pursue Janie.
Janie doesn’t even bother with him. He means that to get a girl like Janie, you have to
have money.
6. What is Hick's reaction to the idea of Starks's putting up a store with a post office in it?
Why? Explain.
He thinks it is funny because he does not think Stark can do it.
7. What is Joe Stark's favorite expression? What do you think it means? “I god.”
I think it means the same as “my gosh” that we use today as just an expression to
exaggerate or amplify something we are saying.
8. What is Joe Starks's motive in building a general store and post office other than to sell
store goods?
So that “black folk” can move up and take better care of themselves and be involved in
the state of things without white people.
9. What honor do the citizens of Eatonville give Joe Starks?
They elect him mayor.
10. Why does Joe not want Janie to give a speech?
He doesn’t want Janie to give a speech because she is a woman.
11. What does Joe order for the town from Sears, Roebuck, and Company? How does the
town react to this gift? Explain.
He orders a street lamp. Some of the town thought it was a useless notion, but the
majority ruled to get it. They also held a big celebration for the “lighting of the lamp”.
12. Joe ask Janie, "Well, honey, how yuh lak bein' Mrs. Mayor?". In your own words,
how does she respond? What is your reaction to Janie's feelings? Why?
She does not like being “Mrs. Mayor” because it gave her so much responsibility and a
figure for others to look at. I feel for her because I hate being put on a post for others to
judge as well.
13. "There was something about Joe Starks that cowed the town.” In your own words,
explain what the narrator means by this statement.
It means that Joe Starks was an authoritative figure to the town, just by his looks.
14. What was the town's reaction to Joe's getting Janie a lady-sized spittoon with little
sprigs of flowers painted all around its sides? Explain.
They are kind of shocked and displeased. It makes them feel like lesser folk, almost like
slaves while he is the rich “white man”.
15. What did Joe do when he caught Henry Pitts with a wagon load of Joe's sugar cane?
What were the townspeople's reactions to what Joe did? What is your reaction? Why?
He had Henry thrown out of town. They did not like his actions. They thought it was
harsh of him because he already has so much.
16. What's the town's reaction to how Joe treats Janie, especially regarding how she must
dress and behave in the store and how he treats her in front of other people there?
Explain. What is your reaction? Why?
Most of the town people ignore it, though some think it kind of wrong. My reaction to it
is disgust that he is so controlling over her.
Chapter 6
1. What does the narrator mean by saying people sat on the porch of the store and "passed
around the pictures of their thoughts"? Explain.
They held conversations about whatever came to mind and they all just talked about
them.
2. According to Sam, what have the "womenfolks" been using Matt Bonner's yellow mule
for?
They were using it’s sides for a washing board.
3. According to Lige, what saved the Roberts' "chillun" from being "trompled . . . to death
by Matt Bonner's yellow mule?
The wind changing and blew the mule off course.
4. Why doesn't Joe want Janie to participate in "mule talk" with those that hang out on the
porch of the store? He doesn’t want her talking with such “trashy people”.
5. Why has Janie "come to hate the inside of that store"? Explain.
She always gets stuck inside the store, when she wants to be outside and part of the
conversations, joy and fun.
6. What had Joe caught Walter doing to Janie's hair one night in the store? What is Joe's
reaction? Why? What is your reaction? Why? What is Janie's reaction to Joe's demands?
Are your more sympathetic here to Janie or to Joe? Why?
He caught Walter playing with the ends of her hair. Joe makes Janie start tying up her
hair. In his mind, Janie and her beauties are for his pleasure and viewing only.
7. Why does Joe buy Matt Bonner's yellow mule? What is Matt's reaction after the sale?
What does Joe use the mule for? What is Janie's reaction to Joe's buying the mule and his
plans for it? According to Janie, what does Joe (Jody) have in common with Abraham
Lincoln?
Joe buys Matt’s mule because he hears Janie make a comment about how they tease the
mule and Matt starving it is cruel. After the sale Matt thinks he had a great deal because
the mule was nothing but sin and bones, didn’t like working, and was soon to die. Janie
thinks that he did a very fine thing and was very impressed by it.
8. When the mule dies, how do the people of the town dispose of its body? What is your
reaction?
They have a funeral for him, basically they drag the carcass out into the middle of
nowhere. I thought it was ridiculous that the whole town went as if it were a big deal or
celebration.
9. Why doesn't Joe allow Janie to attend the mule's funeral? What is ironic or funny about
the elaborate funeral Joe and the others give to honor the dead mule? Who are the Parson
and his followers who have a separate funeral for the mule after Joe and the other
townspeople leave? What is your reaction to this scene? What do you think is ZNH's
reason for including this entire mule story (48-58) in her novel?
Is it important to the plot? Explain. He doesn’t want her to be seen around the people
with no manners and pushing and shoving and such. It’s funny because the whole town
comes, and the mayor even says a speech about the mule. They are buzzards. I thought
this scene was kind of funny because it kind of relates to certain people and town
structures in a way. I also think that’s the reason ZNH involved the story in the first place.
I think it is kind of important to the plot because it’s kind of showing how nothing
happens without a leader starting things.
10. "Everybody can't be like you, Jody. Somebody is bound tuh want tuh laugh and play".
Explain what Janie it talking about, how she and Joe disagree, and whether she bends to
his will on this issue or not.
Janie was talking about how Jody wants everything to be more about business and
getting work done. She believes that you should have fun and enjoy yourself. She ends up
bending to his will on the issue later on.
11. Sam and Lige love to play "the Dozens," that age-old black ritual of graceful insult.
Who, in your opinion, wins their argument, "What is it dat keeps uh man from getting'
burnt on uh red-hot stove-caution or nature?" Who is Big John de Conquer, and how does
he fit into the discussion?
I do not think either of them won, because it was pretty much a pointless argument
dragged on for the sake of having something to do and talk about. John de Conquer is I
guess a strong man with”salt in him”. In the conversation, they say that nature makes a
man like John.
12. Describe the "playacting" that goes on among the men and women, especially Jim,
Dave, and Daisy. Does this kind of kidding around go on today among you and your
peers? Explain.
They pretend to be in love with the women and fight over them. This does happen
sometimes, not all the time though. Usually the boys act like they are pretending, when in
reality they both really like the girl.
13. "The bed was no longer a daisy-field for her and Joe to play in" Explain this
quotation and how it symbolizes Janie's changed perception of Joe and their marriage.
It means that Janie no longer felt a strong attraction to Joe, so without attraction, want, or
desire there was no need for “the bed”.
14. What is your reaction to the scene involving Mrs. Tony Robbins? Do you find it
funny, embarrassing, or insulting? Explain.
I thought it was funny, but also kind of ridiculous. As hid wife she insults him a lot with
the way she speaks of him, and he probably does not deserve it.
15. "It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when you ain't got nothin' tuh strain
against but women and chickens." What motivates Janie to say this to Joe? What is his
reaction? What is your reaction? Why?
Janie says this to Joe because of how he and the other men always put women down like
they are stupid. He gets really angry, hits her and drags her home. I was shocked when I
heard this, because if I ever got hit by my husband for standing up to him, I would
instantly leave him, but times were different back then.
Chapters 7-10
1. How old is Janie at the start of Chapter 7, and what changes have occurred in her
outlook on life, her happiness in marriage, and her future plans? How long has she now
been married to Jody?
She is 35. She gave up on fighting for herself with Jody. She also kind of gave up on her
dreams and wants. She’s been married to Jody for about 17 years.
2. Explain what the following passage means and what it is saying about reading: "She
didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down
to a drop. Man attempting to climb to painless heights from his dung hill"
It means that Janie thought so low of herself and didn’t realize that she could make
changes, and become happy in her life.
3. What changes have occurred in Joe? How old is he now?
He is old and tired looking. He is around 50 year sold.
4. "Takin' 'bout me lookin' old! When you pull down yo' britches, you look lak de change
of life (75). What has prompted Janie to say this to Joe? What effect does this have on
him? With whom are you more sympathetic here-Janie or Joe? Why?
Joe had always been putting Janie down in front of everyone. He kept saying how she
wasn’t young anymore and things like that. Joe gets amd and refuses to talk to Janie or
have anything to do with her. He evens goes so far as to sleep in a different room than
her. I am more sympathetic with Janie because Joe had it coming. He just kept saying
mean and cruel things to his wife. He needed a taste of his own medicine.
5. What changes in his life does Jody make, as described in Chapter 8, What is Janie's
reaction to these changes? Why?
Joe switches to a different room than Janie. He starts talking to a weird medicine doctor,
almost like a witch doctor. Janie feels sorry for Jody that he fell so far down, because he
used to have better sense and never listened to a person like that.
6. How is death personified in Chapter 8? Explain.
Death is personified as kind of a reaper like character.
7. In your own words, describe the final conversation between Janie and Joe. What is her
purpose in saying what she does? What is Joe's reaction? What is your reaction? Why?
Janie tries to tell Joe how he had been making her feel, and that he wasn’t like the person
she had fallen in love with and ran away with. She says it to clear the air before he dies,
because she knowes he is going to die soon from kidney failure. Joe just gets angry and
wants her to leave. He refuses to listen. My reaction to this was kind of saddness. I know
how stubborn people can get, and in the end it hurts them more than others.
8. "Years ago, she had told her girl self to wait for her in the looking glass". Explain what
the narrator is saying about Janie. What does Janie see in the mirror?
The narrator is saying that Janie left her soul and dreams locked away basically, and now
when she looks in the mirror she sees a woman with hope and a possibility of a different
future.
9. What change does Janie make in her appearance the day following Joe's funeral? What
is your reaction? Why?
She lets her hair down and throws away all of her head rags. I felt proud of her for getting
rid of some of the ways that Joe had repressed her.
10. Explain the meaning of this quotation: "Like all the other tumbling mud-balls, Janie
had tried to show her shine"
For me it meant that all ordinary people try to show their true beauties and capabilities,
and sometimes they succeed, and Janie had tried.
11. Following Joe's death, how do the gentlemen suitors treat Janie? What about her are
they most interested in? What was the one thing none of them would mention to the
"widow of Joseph Starks?" Why? What does Janie mean when she says, "To my thinkin'
mourning oughtn't tuh last no longer'n grief" What's the difference as she means it
between mourning and grief?
They treat her like she is incapable of taking care of herself. They are most interested in
the money that Joe left her.
12. Describe Tea Cake. What is his actual name? How is he different from other suitors?
How does Janie respond to him? What is it about him that attracts her? What is your
initial reaction to Tea Cake? Why? What do we already know will happen with them?
What do we not know about their relationship?
Tea Cake is a very charming, young man. His real name is Vergible Woods. He is
different from the other suitors because he has not said one word about her needing to be
“taken care of”. Also, he talks and plays with her, and acts more interested in her than
anything else. His charming ways and t he feeling of knowing him her whole life attracts
her. I think Tea Cake is very charming and funny. I think he will be a great character in
the book. We already know that they end p running off with each other. We do not know
if they end up getting married or anything else really for that matter.
Chapters 11-13
1. What reservations does Janie have about her interest in Tea Cake? Who is Hezekiah
(Kiah), and what opinion of Tea Cake does he express to Janie?
She does not want to get involved with him because he is too young and also probably
does not have much. Kiah is Janie’s helper in the store, and he thinks Janie shouldn’t let
Tea Cake hang around her. He thinks Tea Cake is a low life that only does things for
himself and would not take care of her.
2. What is the age difference between Tea Cake and Janie? What concerns does she have
about it? What is Tea Cake's reaction to their age difference? What is your reaction to
their age difference?
Tea Cake is around 25 and she is around 40. She thinks she has no business being with a
guy that young, and that he is probably just after her money. Tea Cake doesn’t care about
the age difference.
3. Tea Cake "could be a bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring" Explain what
these feelings of Janie toward Tea Cake mean. What connection does this description
have with the blooming pear tree Janie reacted to at Nanny's as a teen?
It means that she really likes, and possibly even thinks she needs him. The connection is
that she may think that she finally found her soul mate.
4. After his pleasant evening visit with her, why does Tea Cake come back to see Janie
the following morning? What does this morning visit have to do with what Janie had said
to him the night before?
He comes back to tell her how he feels about her and to tell her his feeling are real. The
night before she had told him he wouldn’t be interested in the morning and would change
his mind.
5. What evidence (Ch. 11 ) is there that Janie and Tea Cake have become lovers? What is
your reaction? Do you think Tea Cake is sincere or only after her money? Do you think
they'll get married? Why?
The evidence is that she hates when he’s gone, he comes to her house almost every night,
she sneaks out of the store to see him, and other things. I think it is actually very
romantic. I think Tea Cake is actually sincere. I do not think they will get married. I just
do not think it will happen.
6. What is the town's reaction to Janie's relationship with Tea Cake? Why?
They got mad. Their reasons are that Joe had only been dead for 9 months. Also, they
spend a lot of time together in front of everyone. They think that she shouldn’t be with
someone like Tea Cake.
7. Why does Janie decide to sell the store? Why doesn't she simply let Tea Cake run it for
her?
She decides to sell the store because it was never in her interests to have it, and Tea Cake
was not fit to run a store.
8. What does Pheoby mean by saying, "Ah jus lak uh chicken. Chicken drink water, but
he don't pee-pee"?
She means that she’s not going to go around telling everything about Janie to everyone.
9. How is Janie dressed when she leaves Eatonville? How does this relate to the
beginning of the novel? Where does she go to meet Tea Cake? What mode of
transportation does she use? Right after she arrives, what does she and Tea Cake do first?
She dressed in a very fine new blue dress and looked very good. She goes to Jacksonville
to meet Tea Cake. She takes the train. As soon s she arrives they get married.
10. Briefly relate the story of Annie Tyler that Janie remembers. What parallel does Janie
see between Annie' Tyler's story and her own? What evidence is there that this incident
with Tea Cake will have an unhappy ending? What evidence is there that it will have a
happy ending? Which do you expect at this point? Why?
Annie Tyler was an old widow that ran off with a young man. He stays with her for two
days then runs off with all of her money. The parallel she sees is that she is also a widow
and ran off with a younger man. Tea cake took Janie’s money and was nowhere to be
found for over a day. I think they will have a happy ending because he married her and he
comes back. I think they will stay together, until whatever happens that leads to the
beginning of the book. I think this because they both really seem happy with one another.
11. How had Tea Cake spent most of the $200 he had taken from Janie? What does he
have left to show for it? How much money did he return home with? What is Janie's
reaction to this episode? What additional information does this episode reveal about Tea
Cake? What is your overall opinion of him now? Do you think he's a good husband for
Janie to have or not? Why?
He spent most of it on a great feast of chicken and macaroni and cheese that he handed
out to others for free. He also bought a guitar. He returned with $12 left. Janie felt glad
that he came back, and wished that he had let her participate in the fun. It reveals that he
is not used to having a great deal of money. I think he is somewhat foolish, but with good
intentions. I think he is a good husband for Janie to have, because she wants a life filled
with fun, joy, and love. Not a life full of rules and regulations.
12. What happens when Tea Cake goes out gambling again? What injuries does he
sustain? Who does it? Why? Financially, did Tea Cake take a loss or make a profit?
Explain. What is Janie's reaction to this episode? Does this latest episode change your
opinion of Tea Cake? Explain. As Ch. 13 ends, what plans does Tea Cake have for him
and Janie? What is your reaction to these plans?
He wins about $322 and gets cut 2 times by a man named “Double-Ugly”.Ugly cut him
because he lost all of his money to Tea Cake. Tea Cake made a big profit. He only had 12
dollars left from the original $200, and won $322. He plans to take her to “the muck”,
which is the ever glades around Clewiston and Belle Glade. I think that these plans
actually sound fun, and probably will lead to them making a lot of money from the land.
Chapters 14-17
1. Describe some of the things Tea Cake and Janie do to earn money when they first
arrive in the Everglades. What are some other activities they do together? What is Tea
Cake waiting for in hopes of earning large amounts of money?
Tea Cake gets a job as a planter for the cane. They also go hunting and fishing. He is
waiting for the other workers to come and make money, so he can gamble with them.
2. What new skill does Janie develop? Chekov, the famous Russian dramatist, once said
that a gun hanging on the wall in the first act must come down and be used during the
final act. What is your reaction to Janie's new skill? Do you see this information as an
unimportant detail, or, as Chekov, an ominous portent of something ugly to come? Why?
Janie becomes a great shot. I think it will probably have something to do with Janie
coming back to Eatonville without Tea Cake.
3. Describe the workers that poured in from all parts of the country. Why were so many
of them coming to this part of Florida?
They were coming in hopes of making money.
4. Why does Tea Cake urge Janie to get a job picking beans? What is Janie's reaction to
his request?
He wants her to get a job picking beans because he gets lonely without her out there by
himself all the time. Janie actually accepts and says that it is better than staying in the
house by her all the time.
5. Describe in your own words what is going on in the story at the end of Chapter 14.
What do you suppose is ZNH's purpose for including this scene?
It is a scene involving a bunch of people gambling and having fun. I think the purpose is
to show the kind of lifestyle they were living in then.
6. What did Tea Cake do with Nunkie that made Janie jealous? Whom do you find at
fault: Tea Cake, Nunkie, both, neither? Why? What did Janie do to correct the problem?
What is your reaction to this short chapter? Why?
Nunkie would pester Tea Cake and do things to make him run after her. I think Nunkie is
at fault because she keeps instigating it and should just leave a married man alone.
Although, he is not without fault because he goes along with it instead of ignoring her.
She yells at them both, and then she and Tea Cake “physically express their feelings”. I
thought this chapter was kind of pointless, but it does show how easily someone can
become jealous, and also how much Tea cake and Janie love each other.
7. Describe Mrs. Turner. Why is she so negative toward "Negroes"? What does she see as
some undesirable characteristics of blacks? Why is such a hatred ironic, coming from
her? Why is she attracted to Janie?
Mrs. Turner is a kind of mean, self centered black woman who thinks whites are
dominant over blacks, and that Negroes are just filthy, stupid, and disgusting people. She
thinks the darkness of their skin, their “liver lips” and flat, wide noses are undesirable
characteristics. It is ironic because she is at least part black. She likes Janie because Janie
has whitein her, so she has a lighter skin tone and “white-people” hair.
8. What is Mrs. Turner's opinion of Booker T. Washington? Why? What is Janie's reaction
to Mrs. Turner's view? She thinks that he is the “white-man’s nigger”.
She says that because he only talks of black people working when that’s all they’ve ever
done. Janie does not know what to say, and thinks that what Mrs. Turner is saying is
sacrilege.
9. What would Mrs. Turner like see happen between her brother and Janie? Why? What is
Janie's reaction to such an idea?
Mrs. Turner wants Janie and her brother to hook up and get married. She doesn’t like Tea
Cake because he is “too black” and thinks Janie can do better.janie refuses the idea
completely because she loves Tea Cake.
10. What is Tea Cake's opinion of Mrs. Turner? Why? What is Mrs. Turner's opinion of
Tea Cake? Why?
Tea Cake hates her “like poison” because of what she says to Janie. Mrs. Turner doesn’t
like him because he is a very dark black.
11. For what reasons does Tea Cake whip Janie? What reaction does this action cause to
Tea Cake's friends and fellow workers? Why? What is your reaction? Why?
He whipped her because he was jealous of other men that made passes at Janie and to
show her he was boss and had her in possession. It causes them envy. The women envy
her for having Tea Cake, the way he whips her then pampers he after wards like henearly
killed her. Also, the way Janie helplessly clung to Tea Cake made the men envy him.
12. Describe the incident that occurs at Mrs. Turner's eating house involving Tea Cake,
Stew Beef, Sop-de-Bottom, Bootyny, Motor Boat, Coodemay, Sterrett, and others. What
seems to be the cause? What other, underlying reason could have caused it? Do you find
any of this episode funny? Explain.
Coodemay and Sterrett are drunk and start a huge fight in Mrs. Turners eating house. The
cause seemed to be that Coodemay wanted to have a seat and Sop wouldn’t give his up. I
think it was planned by Tea Cake to rough up Mrs. Turner and her place. I thought it was
funny that a little fight over a seat turned into such a great big commotion.
Chapter 18
1. Explain how the following react to sign that a hurricane is coming: (A) a band of
Seminoles, (B) various animals, (C) Lias, (D) the men who gather at Tea Cake's house.
A. They head off to the East as soon as they see the signs. B. Various animals start
slinking off to the East as fast as they can. C. Some of the men stayed, but other fled in a
hurry.
2. Explain the meaning of this quotation from Motor Boat: "Big Massa draw him chair
upstairs. . . Old Mass is doin' His work now. Us ougha keep quiet"
I think it means that “God” is doing his work now and there’s nothing they can do about
it now.
3. Besides suffering damage to buildings that could result from high winds and rain as
with any hurricane, in what additional danger are the people on the muck as a result of
this storm? Why?
They are in danger of the lake over flowing and drowning them.
4. Why had Tea Cake, Janie, and the others with them not evacuated?
They did not believe the hurricane would get that bad, because the bosses had not left yet,
and Indians are “stupid”.
5. Explain the meaning of the quotation near the top of page 160 that contains the title of
the novel. Why do you suppose ZNH chose this title for her novel? Do you fee it's a good
title? Why? (If not, what would be better? Why?)
It means that they were waiting to see what was going to happen to them.I think she
chose this for her title because you watch for what is going to happen in your life a lot,
whether you believe it’s by God’s choice or not. I think it is a good title, because Janie
from the beginning watched her life and hoped for better and waited for “God” to give
her better.
6. What startling discovery do Tea Cake and Janie make about the lake? Why do Tea
Cake and Janie decide to leave, finally? Why does Motor Boat decide to stay? Were there
any other options? What would you have done in their situation? Why?
They discover that the lake has overflowed and was coming. They decide to leave finally
to try to get to safer ground. He decides to stay because he thinks the lake won’t reach
him, and he’s too tired to go on. If I was in their situation, I probably would have tried to
flee to safer ground.
7. Explain how Tea Cake saves Janie's life. What injury does Tea Cake suffer as a result?
What could be some possible complications from such an injury?
He jumps into the water to kill a dog that had started to go after Janie. Tea Cake gets
bitten on his cheek. He could get a bad infection in his cheek and mouth from the injury,
or possibly obtain rabies.
8. What's Janie's reaction to Tea Cake's actions in saving her life?
Janie is very grateful and thinks it was very heroic of him.
9. How does what we know about Tea Cake up to this point in the story contradict the
gossip on the porch about him from Chapter One? What is your opinion of Tea Cake up
to this point in the story? Why?
So far Tea Cake has done nothing but been a good husband to Janie and helped support
her and take care of her in many ways. The gossipers told her he would use her money as
a support and run off. I think Tea Cake is a very good, nice average person. He may not
be the richest or smartest but he does the best he can.
10. What unanswered questions from Chapter One have now been answered? What
unanswered questions from Chapter One remain? What is your guess to these
unanswered questions? Explain.
I now know that Tea Cake and Janie end up getting married. I still do not know what
happened to Tea Cake. I think now that he might end up dying from his injury.
11. ZNH has planted some subtle foreshadowing in this chapter-as well as earlier--as to
how the novel will end, especially with regard to Tea Cake and Janie. Although you won't
know for sure until you read the final two chapters, what do you suppose those
foreshadowing clues might be? What ending do you think they suggest? Why? If you
aren't sure, tell whether you believe the story will happily or tragically, and why.
I think the foreshadowing clues are Tea Cake’s injury and how tired he is. I also think that
since they love each other so much, Tea Cake will not run off without her. I think the
story will end tragically, with Tea Cake dying or being murdered in some way.
Chapters 19-20
1. Describe the situation facing Tea Cake and Janie in Palm Beach at the beginning of
Chapter 19.
They are stuck in the town, and the people of the town are forcing others to bury the
dead.
2. What unwanted job does Tea Cake get "hired" to do? What would likely have
happened to him if he had refused to take the job?
He gets “hired” to bury the dead. If he had refused he probably would’ve been shot and
killed.
3. Explain how the title of the novel is again suggested-although not stated explicitly-in
the middle of page 170.
The novel title is suggested again because Tea cake basically states that God sees
everything, and that the white-folk do not see that he judges everyone the same.
4. How are the burial arrangements different for whites and blacks? What is Tea Cake's
reaction? What is your reaction?
White would get buried in coffins, while the blacks just get thrown into holes with quick
lime spread over them.
5. When Tea Cake and Janie get back to the muck, whom among their friends do they
learn did not survive the storm? What has happened to Motor Boat?
Sterrett did not survive. Motor Boat made it through and was back on the muck.
6. What happens to Tea Cake the fourth week back from the hurricane? What does he
guess is the cause? What does Janie do for him? What does Dr. Simmons report to Janie
about Tea Cake's condition?
He starts getting sick, at first with a headache, then he feels a choking sensation in his
throat and can’t swallow things. Janie gets a doctor for him. He tells her that Tea Cake
was bitten by a mad dog and that he is going to die.
7. What is Janie's reaction to Tea Cake's condition? What danger is Janie in as a result of
Tea Cake's condition? Why?
Janie can’t believe it and would do anything, spend any amount of money, to save him.
Janie could catch rabies very easily from him because it is very contagious and soon Tea
Cake won’t be able to control himself. I think the foreshadowing clues are Tea Cake’s
injury and how tired he is. I also think that since they love each other so much, Tea Cake
will not run off without her. I think the story will end tragically, with Tea Cake dying or
being murdered in some way.
Chapters 19-20
1. Describe the situation facing Tea Cake and Janie in Palm Beach at the beginning of
Chapter 19.
They are stuck in the town, and the people of the town are forcing others to bury the
dead.
2. What unwanted job does Tea Cake get "hired" to do? What would likely have
happened to him if he had refused to take the job?
He gets “hired” to bury the dead. If he had refused he probably would’ve been shot and
killed.
3. Explain how the title of the novel is again suggested-although not stated explicitly-in
the middle of page 170.
The novel title is suggested again because Tea cake basically states that God sees
everything, and that the white-folk do not see that he judges everyone the same.
4. How are the burial arrangements different for whites and blacks? What is Tea Cake's
reaction? What is your reaction?
White would get buried in coffins, while the blacks just get thrown into holes with quick
lime spread over them.
5. When Tea Cake and Janie get back to the muck, whom among their friends do they
learn did not survive the storm? What has happened to Motor Boat?
Sterrett did not survive. Motor Boat made it through and was back on the muck.
6. What happens to Tea Cake the fourth week back from the hurricane? What does he
guess is the cause? What does Janie do for him? What does Dr. Simmons report to Janie
about Tea Cake's condition?
He starts getting sick, at first with a headache, then he feels a choking sensation in his
throat and can’t swallow things. Janie gets a doctor for him. He tells her that Tea Cake
was bitten by a mad dog and that he is going to die.
7. What is Janie's reaction to Tea Cake's condition? What danger is Janie in as a result of
Tea Cake's condition? Why?
Janie can’t believe it and would do anything, spend any amount of money, to save him.
Janie could catch rabies very easily from him because it is very contagious and soon Tea
Cake won’t be able to control himself.
8. What is Tea Cake's only chance for survival? What does Janie do to try to save him?
His only chance for survival is getting the medicine from Miami. She tries to have a car
go get the medicine for him, but the doctor told her not to, that it would be there in the
morning.
9. What does Tea Cake accuse Janie of? Why? How have his behavior and reasoning
been affected by his illness? What frightening object does Janie discover under Tea
Cake's pillow? What additional danger does that put her in?
He accuses Janie of being tired of him, and messing around with Mrs. Turner’s brother.
He heard from one of his friends that Mrs. Turner’s brother was back on the muck. His
behavior has turned more harsh and mean, and he can not reason well. He has the pistol
under his pillow. It makes her fear that he might go mad and shoot her.
10. What is the climax of the novel? What is Janie's reaction? What is your reaction? Did
Janie have any other options under the circumstances? Explain. What is your reaction to
this violent scene?
The climax of the novel is Tea Cake holding a gun to Janie, trying to shoot her, and then
she ends up shooting him with the rifle. Janie fills with dread and sadness, because she
didn’t want to kill him. I was on edge when I wrote it, I think janie had no other options,
in Tea Cakes mind he was set to kill.
11. Some critics have said the trial scene that follows is unnecessary, one of the weakest
parts of the novel? Do you agree? Why? Why do some of the people Janie and Tea Cake
had known testify against her at the trial? What is Janie's reaction? What is your reaction?
Was the outcome of the trial ever in doubt? Why?
I do not agree, because it has a part to do with the story. I think they testified against her
because they didn’t know how sick he was or about the sickness, and they knew how well
Tea Cake had treated her.
12. Describe Tea Cake's funeral in your own words. How does it compare with Joe Stark's
funeral? Explain how Janie and Tea Cake's friends who had testified against her are able
to make up and forgive one another. Is this making up believable? Explain.
He had a grand funeral, and was buried basically like a rich person. A lot of his friends
and loved ones came. It put Joe's funeral to shame. They apologized after seeing how
much she had done for Tea Cake’s funeral and blamed their accusations on Mrs. Turner’s
brother. I think it is believable because even though they probably put the blame on her at
one point, people do make mistakes.
13. Why does Janie return to Eatonville? How does Pheoby say she has changed as a
result of listening to Janie's story? ZNH uses the word horizon twice more (191- 193);
how does the word relate to the story's theme? Explain. How would you describe Janie's
outlook on life at the end of the novel? Explain. What do you believe the future holds for
her? Why?
Janie returned to Eatonville because the muck reminded her too much of Tea Cake and
without him there was no reason fro her to stay. Pheoby says she has grown from
listening to the story and isn’t satisfied with herself anymore. Janie has a way better
outlook on life now, because she experienced love and pure happiness. I think that for the
future she will spread knowledge of her love to others until the day she dies.
Afterward: "Zora Neale Hurston: 'A Negro Way of Saying'" by Henry Louis Gates,
Jr. (pages 195-205).
1. What other types of writing (include titles) did ZNH produce besides novels?
4 novels, 2 books of folklore, and an autobiography. Mules and Men and Tell My Horse.
2. When was ZNH the "dominant black woman writer in the United States"?
The middle of the Harlem renaissance and the end of the Korean War.
3. Who are some contemporary black women's writers ZNH paved the way for?
Alice Walker, Gayl Jones, Gloria Naylor, and Toni Cade Bambara.
4. With regard to point of view, explain "free indirect discourse"; identify and briefly
explain an example of it in TEWWG. Free indirect discourse is the narrative of a novel
shifting from third to a blend of first and third person.
An example of it in TEWWG is how sometimes the narrator would only know things
about Janie, and other times it would know the feelings of all characters.
5. What is Tea Cake able to do for Janie that her first two husbands couldn't?
Tea Cake helped Janie experience love, and love life. He helps her bloom.
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* Brittany Nicole Powell *
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