The Battle of Love
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story of desires. It's main focus is on Janie as her desires shape the entire book. Janie is the first character introduced, though at that point very little is known about her. We learn about her life through one long flashback as told by Janie to her friend Pheoby. Even from the first of her story we see desire, the desire for love. This quickly becomes the theme in the story; the desire for love and for relationships. This desire fuels Janie for her entire life. It pushes her to keep trying, to keep living, and to keep loving. It also connects the reader to her story as everyone desires to love and be loved in the context of relationships.
This story is a sad story about a woman who goes through three marriages and finally finds one that works in her third husband. Unfortunately this relationship doesn't last as her husband gets sick and she ends up having to shoot him to save herself. This is the basic outline of the story. That is, the outline of the story if you remove the desires. The desires in this story, desires of love, hate, friendship, community, and freedom, define it's true meaning. Furthermore, from it's true meaning we find it's ability to change lives.
The author understands humans at their very core and shows this repeatedly throughout the story. This gives the story depth and relevance to all people. The author takes a simple story and weaves the thread of love through it which brings it to life. One example of this would be at the beginning of the story when she gives the picture of tree and a bee and their relationship in springtime. How the bees always fly to the trees and drink there fill and the treas are pollinated and loved on by the bees. As Janie watches this beautiful scene a desire is awoken in her, the desire to love and be loved. This is the start of a long journey for her. She chooses to follow her dreams and go where they take her and the story takes off.
Janie goes through one marriage where her desires are crushed and pushed aside. We see her wilt until finally she rebels and leaves her husband. She runs off with another man hoping and praying this time it will be different, but we see it's not. As Janie's desires are continually pushed down and she's forced into the mold that her husband wants for her. Again though, the author gives a picture of what's really going on to Janie through the symbol of an abused Mule. This mule is starved to death, beaten, and then forced to work. It becomes very angry and terrorizes the town. The Mules health continues to deteriorate though. It is close to death before someone shows compassion, buys the mule, and finally gives it some rest. The Mule comes back to life, becomes happy and friendly and doesn't die for quite some time. This is an accurate picture of what is happening to Janie's desires at the time. She is beat down, her desires being put aside and it's really hurting her. She just needs someone to show compassion on her and she'll come back to life. That is where Tea Cake comes in.
After her second husband dies Tea Cake takes over as lover of Janie. Immediately a genuine desire to love Janie becomes apparent from Tea Cake's actions. Janie's desires are finally realized and appreciated. She feels wanted and cared for and she and Tea Cake have a long and lasting marriage. They love each other in the good times and the bad times. They struggle to survive a dreadful hurricane as love propels them on to safety. Tea Cake fights a mad dog to save Janie's life. Unfortunately because of that fight Tea Cake gets rabies and starts to slowly die. This breaks Janie's heart as the one thing she loves is slipping away from her. Finally, in conclusion to there marriage Tea Cake goes mad and Janie has to shoot him to save herself. One would think that this would crush Janie's heart and desires more then ever. However, the author tells a much different story.
Janie finds happiness, freedom, and peace from this experience. Tea Cake loved Janie like no else ever had and he set her desires free. Even though he is gone her desires are there bursting forth and for the first time in her life she feels free to pursue them because Tea Cake let her heart free. This is a true victory over the primary conflict in this story; the battle between love and human nature. The author understands something about humanity in this story that most people seem to miss. Desires are not something that can be forced to come out, neither can they be buried forever. The author drives home an important point here: Love sets desires free. Tea Cake set Janie free to pursue her desires. That is the message of this story. Love wins.
This story is a sad story about a woman who goes through three marriages and finally finds one that works in her third husband. Unfortunately this relationship doesn't last as her husband gets sick and she ends up having to shoot him to save herself. This is the basic outline of the story. That is, the outline of the story if you remove the desires. The desires in this story, desires of love, hate, friendship, community, and freedom, define it's true meaning. Furthermore, from it's true meaning we find it's ability to change lives.
The author understands humans at their very core and shows this repeatedly throughout the story. This gives the story depth and relevance to all people. The author takes a simple story and weaves the thread of love through it which brings it to life. One example of this would be at the beginning of the story when she gives the picture of tree and a bee and their relationship in springtime. How the bees always fly to the trees and drink there fill and the treas are pollinated and loved on by the bees. As Janie watches this beautiful scene a desire is awoken in her, the desire to love and be loved. This is the start of a long journey for her. She chooses to follow her dreams and go where they take her and the story takes off.
Janie goes through one marriage where her desires are crushed and pushed aside. We see her wilt until finally she rebels and leaves her husband. She runs off with another man hoping and praying this time it will be different, but we see it's not. As Janie's desires are continually pushed down and she's forced into the mold that her husband wants for her. Again though, the author gives a picture of what's really going on to Janie through the symbol of an abused Mule. This mule is starved to death, beaten, and then forced to work. It becomes very angry and terrorizes the town. The Mules health continues to deteriorate though. It is close to death before someone shows compassion, buys the mule, and finally gives it some rest. The Mule comes back to life, becomes happy and friendly and doesn't die for quite some time. This is an accurate picture of what is happening to Janie's desires at the time. She is beat down, her desires being put aside and it's really hurting her. She just needs someone to show compassion on her and she'll come back to life. That is where Tea Cake comes in.
After her second husband dies Tea Cake takes over as lover of Janie. Immediately a genuine desire to love Janie becomes apparent from Tea Cake's actions. Janie's desires are finally realized and appreciated. She feels wanted and cared for and she and Tea Cake have a long and lasting marriage. They love each other in the good times and the bad times. They struggle to survive a dreadful hurricane as love propels them on to safety. Tea Cake fights a mad dog to save Janie's life. Unfortunately because of that fight Tea Cake gets rabies and starts to slowly die. This breaks Janie's heart as the one thing she loves is slipping away from her. Finally, in conclusion to there marriage Tea Cake goes mad and Janie has to shoot him to save herself. One would think that this would crush Janie's heart and desires more then ever. However, the author tells a much different story.
Janie finds happiness, freedom, and peace from this experience. Tea Cake loved Janie like no else ever had and he set her desires free. Even though he is gone her desires are there bursting forth and for the first time in her life she feels free to pursue them because Tea Cake let her heart free. This is a true victory over the primary conflict in this story; the battle between love and human nature. The author understands something about humanity in this story that most people seem to miss. Desires are not something that can be forced to come out, neither can they be buried forever. The author drives home an important point here: Love sets desires free. Tea Cake set Janie free to pursue her desires. That is the message of this story. Love wins.