Реферат: Critical Essay Their Eyes Were Watching God

man she meets is perfect for her. Janie?s development as a woman becomes complete after

living and learning with Vergible ?Tea Cake? Woods.

Tea Cake catalyzes the final stage of development of Janie as a woman. From Tea

Cake, Janie learns to love and what it feels like to be loved. He represents everything Janie

has ever wanted in a marriage:

She couldn?t make him look like any other man to her. He looked like the love thoughts

to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with

every step he took. Spice hung about him. He was a glance from God. (p.106)

Tea Cake not only encourages her growth to independence, but contributes to it by

teaching her skills such as hunting and checkers, while at the same time, praising her for

her talents. He further proves this by taking her fishing, hunting, dancing, and gardening

with her. For a while, Janie and Tea Cake even work the fields together. For the first time

in her life, Janie enjoys life because she experiences what it feels to be loved. She says

?…we ain?t got nothin? tuh do but do our work and come home and love? (p.133). Tea

Cake has none of the financial stability of the first two men, but has an openness of mind

that allows Janie to escape from people?s expectations. He makes Janie realize that she

must decide what she wants out of life, and discovers she hated the limitations Nanny

imposed on her self-fulfillment: ?Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the

horizon…and pinched it into such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her

granddaughter’s neck tight enough to choke her.? (p.89) From her marriage with Tea

Cake, Janie finally lives her dream of love and believes it is something very few people

ever get to experience. Janie?s marriage with Tea Cake brings her to a final stage of

self-realization.

Janie clearly progresses in her development as a woman through the marriages she

has had with three very different men. Logan Killicks is her starting place and from him

she learns that she was missing a mutual love. Although Janie feels Joe Starks would

provide her with what she thinks is love, it is only a show to win her over, eventually

giving way to his ulterior motive of building a name for himself. His death gives Janie a

new chance, allowing Tea Cake the privilege of being the next to marry Janie and the