2. Author and Date Written: Zora Neale Hurston; 1937

Janie, the protagonist of the novel, is described as powerful, articulate, self-reliant, and radically different. She is a very strong woman, both mentally and physically. She also is a very beautiful woman, adored by many. The novel follows her around throughout the course of the novel and the reader witnesses her progression throughout her life. Janie struggles to discover herself, and spends the entire novel trying to find happiness and what it is that she wants.

Tea Cake, a man very much younger than Janie, becomes her third husband. He is a very kind and sweet man in his courtship of Janie, allowing her to win at Chess and not harming her in any way. He is very much a flirt. But after the two are married, Tea Cake changes a little bit. At one point he beats Janie, only to show that she is still his possession. Janie loves him through it all, however, so that when Tea Cake passes away, she is grieving too much to wear the mourning clothes.

Joe Starks is the man who is Janie's second husband. At her first sight of him, she is curious, f

The muck becomes the home of Janie and Tea Cake. He takes her there so that he can earn money to support her, not wanting to live off of her money. Janie is no longer in a high position, but the people and Tea Cake are still unsure if she will join them in the fields, dressed in overalls instead of dresses. On the muck, Janie is respected and adored by her fellow workers as she joins the work force to be close to her beloved husband. Although the name of the place refers to it as a God-forsaken place near the wet Everglades, it is a place that the reader truly feels comfortable in, as does Janie. She becomes what her second husband would never have allowed her to become. She gains her freedom and rids her hair of the head rag. She is truly happy with Tea Cake and loves him very much.

In her quest, Janie wishes to discover the world for herself. As she continues throughout her life, Janie, instead of attempting to become less of her heritage, emerges deeper and deeper into the South, into Black tradition. This is why she and Mrs. Turner don't mix well. Janie has no desire to better the cause for black women, but instead she turns to herself, wishing to establish her ownself.

As in most novels, foreshadowing has its part. But instead of a character prophesying or the narrator hinting at future events, it is the action that foreshadows. Before the hurricane sweeps across Florida, the Indians leave their homes, claiming that blooming grass indicates that a hurricane is indeed coming. After this manifestation, the reader becomes uneasy, wondering if the Indians are indeed correct, which the reader finds out later, they are.

or he is described as "a cityfied, stylish dressed man". It is this curiosity that drives Janie to meet him. Joe knows exactly what it is he wants in life. He tells Janie that he wishes to be a big voice and the boss in the soon to be Eatonville. He believes that women should be seen and not heard, which he applies to Janie. Janie is to act her part as Mrs. Mayor. Joe is a very jealous man. He will not allow Janie to wear her hair down, for he sees the pleasure that the other men take in it, and he wants to be the only man who can enjoy it.

Nanny is Janie's grandmother. Nanny raises Janie after Janie's parents take off. Nanny is glad to raise Janie, calling it her second chance to do something right. Nanny prays often to God for the well-being of Janie. She is a church-going person, dragging Janie along a few times. Nanny wants Janie to get herself up into a high position and stay there, but since Janie gets there so fast, she doesn't like it at all. In Janie's first marriage, Nanny tells her that she doesn't have to have love, just protection.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tea Cake, Cake Irony, Logan Killicks, Starks Janie, Theme Throughout, Florida Indians, South Black, Significant Imagery, Author's Techniques, Cake Motor, tea cake, logan killicks, reader able, head rag, janie wishes, janie tea, janie janie, pear tree, janie tea cake, joe starks, reader able relate, tells doesn't, livin' fuh theyselves, throughout life janie, effective tool talented,
Approximate Word count = 3039
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)