The author begins and ends the book on a porch where Janie is telling her story to her friend Pheobe Watson. The book begins in the morning on the porch and then ends at night, symbolic of beginning and end. In between these two times Janie is telling her story which travels through the state of Florida.

In this book, Hurston writes in the dielect of the black community of the time. Many of the words are slang. Hurston begins the story with Janie telling it, but then it becomes a third person narrative throughout most of the story.

Many times the love that a person is looking for is the one that a person doesn't realize.

Lee Coker - Lee Coker lives in Eatonville. He was one of the first people to meet Jody and Janie.

Coodemay and Dick Sterrett - Coodemay and Sterrett were friends of Tea Cake and Janie in the Everglades. One night they went to Mrs. Turner's restaurant while they were drunk. When they started causing trouble, Tea Cake made a big show of throwing them out. The crowd began to take sides, so a great deal of pr

Captain Eaton - Captain Eaton was one of the donors of Eatonville's original fifty acres of land. When Jody first arrived in Eatonville, he made a big show paying cash to him for an additional two hundred acres.

Motor Boat - Motor Boat was one of Tea Cake and Janie's friends in the Everglades. He fled the Everglades with them during a terrible hurricane. They took refuge in an abandoned house. Motor Boat stayed in the house while Janie and Tea Cake fled east to escape the rising waters. The house was ripped from its foundations and carried for several miles by the water, but Motor Boat slept through the entire thing.

Very early in the marriage, Jody refused to allow Janie to define the boundaries of her life. He would not allow her to give a speech after his election as Mayor because he considered himself the "big voice." He didn't regard Janie as an individual, but as an ornament to his prestige. He wanted her to work in the store so that she could serve as a symbol of his wealth. He didn't want her to sully her image as high-class woman because he didn't want to sully his as a high-class man. He made her cover her hair because he regarded her as one of his possessions.

Nanny Crawford - Nanny Crawford was Janie's grandmother. She raised Janie from infancy. Because she was a former slave, Nanny believed in the value of financial security and respectibality. Therefore, she coerced Janie into marrying Logan Killicks when she was still in her teens.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 6210
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page double spaced)