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Janie and Tea Cake in Their Eyes Were Watching God


            "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget" " (Hurston 1). The struggle of women in a male-dominated society is a key focal point in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God." The novel recounts the life of Janie, an African American woman on a lifelong journey seeking personal fulfillment and true love. This narrative is told in deep perspective through the use of key characters, plot, and rich symbolism. Characters play a vital role in the development of the plot of "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Janie, the protagonist, undergoes change and growth as the plot advances, battling oppression from a male-dominated society, including her husbands, who display male dominance in various ways. As Janie progresses through her adolescent and adult years, she struggles to live a fulfilling life, strangled by the lack of independence she must face while living with her husbands. Janie's second husband, Joe Starks, possesses dual roles in the book, as he assists Janie in beginning her new life journey and also diminishes it. Joe convinces Janie to marry him and start a new life with him at his side, but he soon becomes domineering and makes Janie an object of his status as the affluent mayor of Eatonville. This makes him one of the key antagonists in the narrative. Tea Cake, Janie's third and presumably last husband, also is important in Janie's quest for a life of fulfillment. After Joe's death, Janie finds comfort in Tea Cake, and they develop a relationship. Upon marrying Tea Cake, Janie and her new husband move to the Everglades, where they become involved in the community and Janie enjoys a comfortable life with an affectionate Tea Cake. Though he appears to be domineering and inconsiderate of his wife at first, Tea Cake proves his love for Janie through his hard work and sacrifice. This love between Janie and Tea Cake remains until Tea Cake's tragic death.


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