Though Janie hardly knew the man, being young and gullible, she was taken by his words. She took another step in her journey, leaving Logan the next day and traveling to Eatonville with Joe Starks. Starks is elected mayor and illustrates this point, as the crowd wants to hear from "Mrs. Mayor Starks" (she no longer has her own identity). "Mah wife don't know nothin "bout no speech-makin". Ah never married her for nuthin" lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home" (Hurston 69). It soon becomes apparent that Joe was only interested in having a wife to use as a show piece. Janie wanted to feel a part of the community, but Joe kept her isolated so that she would continue to be his "prize" and not become just another woman in the town. After years of marriage Janie began to realize that her husband started to change. He reminded her more and more of Logan. There was a fear in Joe, a fear of losing Janie because, he was getting old. He stopped giving Janie complements; instead he would tell her that she was an old and unattractive woman, that no man wants her. He did all that just to feel better about himself. But nothing could break Janie's spirit, not even his death. Joe died when Janie was thirty-seven. She was still a young woman full of hopes and dreams. She was also very rich, but having all this Janie never experienced one thing she treasured the most, she never experienced true happiness. .
This is where Vergible Woods, a.k.a. Tea Cake comes into the picture. Janie met Tea Cake not long after the death of her second husband. Tea Cake was truly different from other men, he was loving and caring, and he did not ask anything in return but to be loved. He gave Janie the freedom to be who she was, not who someone wanted her to be. He not only encourages her growth to independence, but furthers it by teaching her skills (the game of checkers that Janie "just ain't never learnt how") and praising her talents.