Cast of Characters

About the Cast:

By: Peter Mayhew

Janie: Janie is the protagonist of the novel. The plot is moved along as she continues searching for her dream of love.


Pheoby Watson: Pheoby is Janie's best friend. Janie relates her entire life story to Pheoby, which provides the basis for the novel.


Nanny: Nanny is Janie's grandmother who raised her because Janie's parents left her before she could even know them. Nanny wants Janie to be a respectable wife with a sound husband who can support her.



Logan Killicks: Logan is Janie's first husband. Although he loves her, Janie does not share his affection and only marries him to satiate Nanny.


Joe Starks: Joe is Janie's second husband who she runs off to Eatonville. Joe is very ambitious and rather egotistical.


Hezekiah: Hezekiah is Joe's young assistant who helps Janie run the store after Joe dies. Hezekiah idolizes Joe, and assumed Joe's mannerisms after Joe's death.


Tea Cake: Tea Cake is Janie's third husband. Unlike any of her preceding husbands, he is much younger than her and he is not financially stable. However, he treats Janie like an equal and shows her unconditional love.


Mrs. Turner: Mrs. Turner runs a restaurant in the Everglades. She believes she is superior to other Negros because she has some Caucasian attributes. Since Janie has more Caucasian characteristics than herself, Mrs. Turner idolizes her. However, Mrs. Turner hates Tea Cake because he had very dark colored skin.

Motor Boat: Motor Boat is a friend of Tea Cake who wants to sleep through the hurricane.

Dr. Simmons: Dr. Simmons is the doctor who treats Tea Cake and testifies for Janie in court.

Janie's Worldview

Janie’s Worldview compared to a Christian’s Worldview

By: Peter Mayhew

The worldview portrayed in any novel is of utmost importance in order to understand the theme of the novel. As well, as a Christian, it is important to evaluate the worldview in order to be shrewd in discerning what is applicable in literature to our lives and what is useful only in understanding a non Christian perspective. In Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes were Watching God, Janie’s worldview through most of the novel is naturalistic. She responds to the situations in her life as if what she can see and feel physically and emotionally is all there is. However, Janie cannot be neatly classified in this category because she also believes that there is a God. She views God as an all powerful yet disinterested deity. Janie’s worldview cannot be the same as the Christian worldview in this regard. As well, there is almost no reference to Jesus throughout the novel. As a Christian, my personal worldview is based in the Bible. My entire life is part of God’s larger plan, and Jesus is my only savior. It is extremely beneficial to compare Janie’s worldview to that of the Christian. By looking at the answers to the questions of life presented by each worldview, a comparison can be drawn between the two.

The first question that bears answering is “who am I?” Janie begins her story to Pheoby by retelling her early life (10-24). The most important event in that childhood was her coming into womanhood. At this point, Janie’s worldview began to be developed. Although initially she rejects the title of woman (15), eventually she accepts it as the fundamental part of her identity (30). As Christians, people see themselves not in view of who they are, but in view of what Christ has made them. Jesus has sacrificed himself on a cross in order to give Christians the right to be called children of God. Therefore Christians see themselves as adopted heirs to God’s kingdom.

Another question answered by worldviews is “where did I come from?” Janie never really addresses this question. However, when she describes her early life to Pheoby, Janie relates how she was born illegitimately and was raised by her grandmother (23). Although there is no direct reference to the worldview question, from references to God and Janie’s birth story we can assume that Janie probably believed that God did allow for her creation but did not care much about it. The Christian believes that he or she was created in the image of God. Although the circumstances of his or her birth may be difficult or embarrassing, God still places a high value on the life of the individual.

One of the most important questions a person can ask about life is “where am I going?” Janie struggles with this question often throughout the novel. Early on, she despairs, thinking that she will not be able to go anywhere with her marriage (26-30). Later, she finds a way out by running off with Joe. She believes that she has found a path her life can follow. (35 and 38-39). This dream turns sour when she realizes that Joe is more concerned with his own image than loving her. Finally, Janie seems to come to the conclusion that worrying about the future is irrelevant and living in the present is what is important. When she marries Tea Cake, she lives this way and enjoys it, as evident by her allowing Tea Cake to gamble her money (148) moving to the Everglades (151) and relating the story to Pheoby (226). In regards to the little said about Janie’s beliefs regarding death, she does believe in a heaven because she looks forward to hearing Tea Cake’s songs again (222). Christians firmly believe that based on a person’s relationship to Jesus he or she will go either to heaven or hell. Since all have sinned, the default destination is hell. However, through Jesus gift of salvation, people who believe and repent can live with God for eternity.

One other important question is “what is true and what is false?” To Janie the only unwavering truth is her dream of love. As Hurston open’s her story she describes a woman’s tenacity in pursuing the dream of love (1). Janie compares all of her relationships to the standard oh her dream of love which began at the pear tree in her grandmother’s yard (13). Christians also have one standard of truth; however, it is not a girlish dream of love. It is the Word of God. In the Bible, Christians find the ultimate standard for their lives. If uncertain whether a thought process is true or not, Christians can turn to the Bible for guidance.

One of the dilemmas Janie faced was how to I conduct her life. Her Grandmother told her she should search for an important husband who could support her (18). Joe Starks said she should act prim and proper, evident by his refusal to let Janie do anything common (71). Janie rejects all of these opinions and forges her own. She spends her life searching for the love revealed to her in her revelation at the pear tree. Once she finds that love in Tea Cake, she embraces it and lives life to the fullest with Tea Cake. As a Christian, one must conduct his or her life in full obedience to God. Not in order to earn salvation, but in order to praise and worship God.

The last and most important part of a worldview is whether the person believes in a god and how to respond to that god. Janie definitely does believe in a god. Sparingly throughout the book references are made to the Christian God. However, many of the characteristics of the Christian God are absent. For instance, during the hurricane, God is portrayed as whimsically terrorizing humanity (187 and 197). As well, the only times God is mentioned are times of great distress in Janie’s life. Although Janie believes there is a god, she only turns to him when she needs help beyond her abilities. The God of the Bible is far different from Janie’s interpretation. He is all powerful, but he is also loving. He desires a personal relationship with each individual person. A Christian responds to Him by welcoming Him into their lives and placing Him as king of their lives.

By inspecting Janie’s worldview and comparing it to the Christian worldview, the novel becomes much easier to understand. Janie’s actions make more sense. Even more importantly than understanding the book is the knowledge gained with regard to the way people think in the real world. Unfortunately, Janie’s worldview is a very realistic one; countless people believe in an impersonal god. They rely on themselves completely instead of turning to their Creator. Although Janie’s worldview is not something Christians should attempt to imitate, by understanding it Christian can humbly apply that knowledge in witnessing when they meet someone who shares her view.

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora. Their Eyes were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2000

Character Life Map

Created by: Christine Peterson

Janie and Tea Cake held a relationship that was unique and different from all the other relationships that Janie had experienced. The emotions and personal growth that Janie had, shows how much of an impact Tea Cake had on her.

When Janie and Tea Cakes relationship began Janie was unhappy and lonesome but, Tea Cake was happy and optimistic. But as Janie and Tea Cake began to get to know each other, in the store, Janie began to become happier as well as Tea Cake. They played checkers and drank cola, enjoying each others company. They seemed to enjoy each others company and spending time together.

As their relationship began to develop further Janie and Tea Cake would sit out on the front porch talking and laughing until late hours of the night. Through this Janie began to become quite fond of Tea Cake this caused her to dream of the pear tree, of which she dreamed of when she was falling in love. These feeling that she had for Tea Cake grew stronger, as she was able to become more herself. This became evident when Tea Cake and Janie went fishing together.

Tea Cake was very fond of Janie and insisted that she wear a powder blue dress, an item that she wore as she and Tea Cake moved to a new home. In their new

home, Tea Cake and Janie experienced some struggles in their relationship. Janie became worried and fearful when she found that Tea Cake had taken all of her money and did not return until much later. Tea Cake began to show himself to her, the fact that he was a gambler, this caused him to become selfish and foolish. The gambling that Tea Cake participated in caused him to be injured instilling fear not only into himself but into Janie as well, as she feared for his safety.

It was then that Janie and Tea Cake moved to the everglades. There they both experienced both great joy with the company of each other as well as jealousy as other people became more involved in their lives. But this did not stop the great fun that they were able to have with each other. As they went hunting together, Janie was able to be herself and feel relaxed around Tea Cake as he was with her. They had great joy when together listening to music and dancing with together and with their friends.

It was not until the hurricane came that Tea Cake and Janie showed their true devotion to each other, as they fought through the storm together, making sure they both would make it to safely. When the time came for them to part, Janie was greatly saddened and showed her love for him by grieving in her own way, wearing her overalls that she had worn while with him. As Janie went on with her life, Janie leaned to become happy and enjoyed the time she could spend with her friend, and dreamed of Tea Cake happy, with the sun shining on him.

Materials Used: Acrylic Paint, Toilet Paper, Paper Bag, Tag Board, Colored Pencil

( Some of the drawings/ Paintings are raised and some are carved in, but it is hard to tell from a photo.)

Synopsis

About the story:

By: Abigail Johnson

The story begins with the main character, Janie, coming balk to her home town after a long time away. Many people wonder what happened to her, and begin to talk about what they think happened to her. To get the truth, Janie's good friend Pheoby visits her and Janie then tells the story of her life to Pheoby. She then begins by telling Pheoby about how she was raised by her grandmother, "Nanny,"who was a very kind, loving person, but had an unusual view on life. She wants Janie to marry as soon as possible, even though Janie fantasizes about a romantic relationship, Nanny wants Janie to marry a man who is in good social standing and also rich. Janie finds a man named Logan, who is an old farmer, for Janie to marry. She does not like living with Logan, he makes her work very hard and does not express his love toward her.

One day, a young man named Joe Starks, called "Jody," comes to the farm. He is a very interesting person and Janie starts to fall for him charm and charismatic talking and they soon end up running away to get married. They move to a small town where Jody becomes mayor and also runs a store. They are married for many years, As Jody gets older, his appearance and self esteem seem to weaken. He takes out his unhappiness on Janie. She has to sit there and listen to him criticize her. She keeps very quiet and lets Jody criticize her. The many years of criticism take their toll on Janie and one day in the store she harshly criticizes Jody. He then gets upset and embarrassed and decides not to talk to her for a while. Jody's health begins to grow weaker and weaker while lying in bed slowly dying Janie confronts him one last time. As if he can;t take the criticism, Jody dies. Janie provides a proper burial even though she is happy with her freedom.

Janie begins her new life as a single person, and running the store alone. One day, a man who is twelve years younger than Janie comes into the store. He flirts with Janie but, she tries to avoid it thinking he only wants her for her money. He persists and she starts to fall for him. After the man, called "Tea Cake." continues to show commitment to her for sometime. She finally agrees to marry him and they then move to a different town. A little while into their lives together, Tea Cake steals some money from Janie and spends it foolishly, he then gambles and tries to get it back. Unfortunately after he wins the money is then stolen from him.

They then go to the everglades where they get a job working in the fields. A young girl flirts with Tea Cake and this upsets Janie. Tea Cake then promises he would only love her to set her at ease. Sometime later a large hurricane hits the area. Janie and Tea Cake try to run away but they are caught by it. In the process of running away Tea Cake is bitten by a dog with rabies and gets infected. A few weeks after getting infected Tea Cake's health and sanity start to deteriorate. At one time in the heat of his madness he grabs a gun and tries to shoot Janie. She then takes another gun and shoots him. She Deeply misses Tea Cake, but knows it was for the best. She goes on trial, but is not convicted. She then moves back to her home town, thus the predicament she found herself in, in the beginning of the story. When she goes to her home she finally feels peaceful in the end.

Setting Model

Created By: Sean Burke

Author Biography

About the Author:

By: Sean Burke

Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama. Shortly after, her family moved to the town of Eatonville, the United States, first all black community. In Eatonville, Zora grew up free of racial tensions and prejudice. She grew up with the influence of Christianity since her father was a pastor.


When Zora turned 13, things seemed to take a turn for the worse when her mother dies in 1904. Zora's father remarried shortly after her mother's death. Zora didn't seem to like her step mother very much since she almost killer her in a fistfight.


Shortly after her father remarried, Zora began working at different jobs for the next 13 years. After 13 years, Zora made her way to Baltimore and she still hadn't finished high school. In order to qualify for free high school education, Zora Neale Hurston, who at the time was 26, had to fake her age. So she changed her birth year to 1901, which made her ten years younger. She would keep this secret her whole life.

After completing high school in Baltimore, Zora went on to attend Barnard Collage from 1925-1927. While she was there, Zora wrote several short stories and articles. Zora also met a man named Herbert Sheen and married him in 1927. Zora finished her time at Barnard College with a bachelor of the arts. Zora went on t divorce Sheen in 1931.


Zora Neale Hurston went on to write several more books, stories, and articles. She also married again to a man named Albert Prince III, but she also ended up divorcing him. Finally Zora Neale Hurston suffered a stroke early in 1959 and was forced to live at the St. Lucie Welfare Home. Zora would eventually die there about a year later in 1960 of hypertensive disease.

Criticism Comparison and Assessment:

Criticism Comparison:

By: Abigail Johnson

Feminism school of criticism: The prevailing theme of this novel is how a woman deals with the strain of difficult relationships and ultimately triumphs. In this novel it is showed many times how the protagonist would be persecuted in a marriage and would be able to free herself. She would show her strength in enduring through the hard times. She would then seek comfort and be able to find new love. In the end the protagonist found that in the end, true freedom is in the joy of being single. In this novel, the main character has many struggles in life and is able to get through them with strength. When she is practically given away be her grandmother and to a man who treated her with little respect and made her like his pack mule, she stayed strong and was able to escape. She then became the victim of a proud, dominate male. He liked to show his power over her and would unwaveringly rebuke her. One day she finally had enough of this and rebuked him back. He then got ill and she rebuked him on his death bed. Unable to handle this, his proud nature gets the best of him and he dies. Her final husband also gives her trouble when he steals her hard earned money and spends it on foolish things. Also, after being bitten by a rabid dog, he become violent and takes all of his anger and violence on the poor, helpless, Janie. Even at the climax of the story he is shooting a gun at her. Because of her quick thinking Janie is able to use another gun and deliver herself from the hands of her persecutor. In the end Janie settles back down in her home town where she is happy and single.

Psychological school of criticism: Many factors influence the theme of this novel. One major theme is the novel is self discovery. Throughout this novel the protagonist moves through the story and the events of her life shape the way she looks at life and discovers new things about herself. Another theme would be the impact that race has on society. This story discusses the difficulties African Americans have in society. An example of this is how Mrs. Turner treats Tea Cake, showing the feeling of pride. The main character, Janie, grows very much as a person through the development of the novel. She at first had a carefree optimistic view of life. As a young child she thought she was white. This probably had some subconscious impact on the way Janie views life and thinks of herself. After her first marriage Janie’s perception of the way husbands should act changes. Janie’s second marriage is probably the most emotionally tolling. The many years of getting criticized day after day get to Janie and she begins to resent Joe. If one keeps emotions bottled up inside it usually leads to an emotional outburst of some sort. This indeed was what happened. After this happens Joe’s health began to deteriorate. As he lies in bed dying, Janie again confronts him. This feeling of helpless humiliation leads Joe over the edge and he dies. Janie’s third marriage gives her a new look on marriage and also life. She displays mistrust toward Tea Cake at first, but after his display of commitment she agrees to marry him. The storm also gives in site into Janie and Tea Cake’s strong bond when Janie is almost attacked by a dog and Tea cake risks his life to save her. Their strong commitment to each other is shown when even though Tea Cake, in a mad rage, often threatens and accuses Janie, she continues to love and take care of him till his last days. In the end of the end Janie develops a sense of emotional peace when she feels that Tea Cake will always be in her heart.

Biographical school of criticism: Many parts of Zora Neale Hurston's life play significant roles in the themes of this novel. The first characteristic was that Hurston was also an African American who had to deal with the difficulties of that in during the time period of which this novel was written. This is why the author uses a theme of racism in her book. Also, Zora’s father was a preacher and this would explain the ongoing theme of God brought into this story. The main character, Janie, and the author have many things in common. Her own personal life is probably what influenced the author the most. One example is the fact that the town Janie lived in, Eatonville, was based off the town the author grew up in bearing the same name. Another influence is the face that Janie’s father was also the mayor of the town for some time. This is probably what made the author write about how Janie was married to the mayor. This story is also based entirely in Florida, the state the author grew up in. The author also tragically lost her mom at a young age. This is probably why Janie multiple times loses those closest to her. The author is also a young woman growing up during a similar time and probably influenced the way she made Janie speak and think. Also, growing up in an all black town gave Huston the feeling of pride and a want for accomplishment for her race.

The interpretation that best represents a Christian world view : Biographical. This is because it shows a person and how they developed their book to fit with their world view, which in this case happens to be a Christian. Psychological critiques are often conducted using techniques that are often questioned in Christian thinking. Also, the psychological school of criticism focuses mainly on the person themselves and how they and their environmental factors impact them mainly and not their spirituality. The feminism school of criticism also does not reflect the Christian world view either. It also focuses too much on the person themselves and what they do, not anything related to spirituality. This school of criticism is also bias and harsh towards men, which are not characteristics of a Godly world view. The bible said that all men are created equal, this means men and women both, have equal amounts of sin in the eyes of God.