The ending to this novel was very dramatic and fast-paced. Hurston crammed a lot of action into a few chapters. I was very shocked by the ending. I never expected this novel to go from Janie exploring her own identify and the relationships to having the characters battling a natural disaster. I thought it was very interesting how Tea Cake and Janie chose to stay in town with the hurricane approaching. Most of the town as well as the local Native Americans were leaving and warning them to get out of town. Some of their friends even offered them a ride to leave. Tea Cake wanted to stay and make more money by working in the bean fields. I don’t understand why staying was so important to him when Janie had enough money to support them during the hurricane. It was strange because all he seemed to be gaining was a few extra days of work. He didn’t want to believe that they were in any real danger until they were knee deep in water.
I think that this hurricane really showed the extent that Tea Cake and Janie would go to be with each other and to keep each other safe. I think that Tea Cake especially took care of Janie during the hurricane. He carried her when she became exhausted from running and he fought with a mad dog to save her from being bitten or drowning. I really think that Janie owes her life to Tea Cake. He essentially gave up his own life to save her. This is why it was so ironic that Janie was the one that had to kill Tea Cake for her own safety. It was just so unfortunate the way that things ended.
When Tea Cake became sick and needed medicine, I thought for sure that they were going to get it in time. Janie had barely touched her money that she got when Joe died and sold the store. I thought that Janie was going to be able to use that money to buy the medicine to save Tea Cake.
When the doctor told Janie that she should put Tea Cake in a hospital so that he doesn’t get violent, I got the feeling that Tea Cake would eventually try to hurt her from his illness. This seemed like major foreshadowing about what was to come. I think that it was Janie’s strength and confidence in herself that allowed her to stay rational and calm throughout Tea Cake’s illness. Janie was able to figure out that Tea Cake had a pistol and she took the initiative to make sure that it would shoot blanks for the first two shots. This didn’t mean that Janie loved Tea Cake any less because she took measures to protect herself. I saw this as one of the most courageous and self assured acts that Janie did throughout the novel.
6 comments:
I agree that Hurston crammed a lot of action into just a few chapters. i was not expecting a natural disaster either, however, I think that it was a great literary sign. Hurston refrenced nature a lot in her writings. I think the natural disaster was great foreshodowing for the events to come.
I think the reason, that Tea Cake stayed and worked was characteristic of a true man. He did not want a woman to support him. I think him wanting to work goes back to the power of the sexes, what is sterotypical events of Hurston related throughout the novel.
I too thought that Janie was brave. I, however, would have hidden the gun. That would have changed the whole outcome of the story.
It was interesting how Hurston made the ending so action packed. I think also that the hurricane was foreshadowing what was to come. I feel that Hurston did reference nature quite often to describe life and sexuality, so it seemed that to choose a natural disaster such as a hurricane was appropriate because the ending was such a whirlwind. Also the hurricane for me represented Janie’s emotions and courage all swirling together to evolve her into the woman she seemed to long for throughout the novel.
I agree that the ending had alot going on i was shocked too mostly about that she had to kill tea cake. I definitly think that the hurricane was foreshadowing to the ending when she has to go through all the things with tea cake. I think that by doing that she turned out to be stronger than she was in the past.
I agree that the ending of this novel was completely dramatic and fast-paced. I feel as though the chapter with the hurricane was the climax of the story. When Tea Cake demanded that he and Janie stay in the muck I had a feeling that something awful was going to happen. I also agree with you in that the hurricane simply proved to the reader the devotion and love that Janie and Tea Cake have for each other.
You're point about how Janie's shooting of Tea Cake was an act of love, not an act of vengeance is right on the money. I, too, kind of felt like something was going to sour the end of their marriage and the novel was loaded with foreshadowing. As we watched Tea Cake get sicker and act more irrationally, I began to realize that it was inevitable for something sad to happen at the end. However, Janie truly loved Tea Cake, and only hurt him to put him out of his misery, in my opinion.
I wasn't expecting the ending either. It was certainly a surprise. I wonder why they decided to stay. I would have gotten out of there with everyone else if I knew a hurrican was coming. I think Samantha has a good idea about the idea of nature playing into Hurston's writing though.
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