As the chapter progresses, we can clearly see that Janie becomes more liberal, happy, and filled with love. This is mostly thanks to a certain man named Virgible Woods, or Teacake. Approaching Janie with "a sly grin" (p.94) one day, Teacake invites Janie to a game of checkers. "She found herself glowing inside." (p.96) Janie becomes so happy that somebody wants her to play checkers and treats her equally. His appearance- "those full, lazy eyes with the lashes curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. The lean, over-added shoulders and narrow waist. Even nice!" (p.94) further brings Janie to feel romantic feelings towards Teacake. With Teacake, Janie spends all her days wonderfully- going to a picnic, a midnight fishing trip, and most of all, just having fun. We can definitely see that Janie finally achieves her long dream of earning true love.
Jacksonville. They both get married, and move there to get a job. Here, they encounter their first conflict. Janie, who was always anxious about whether Teacake truly loves her or her money, notices that her 200 dollars has disappeared. To make it worse, Teacake is out and only returns late at night. However, he quickly redeems himself through his sweet words and jokes. "Ah met plenty women before Ah knowed you tuh talk tuh. You'se de onlies woman in de world Ah ever even mentioned gitting married tuh." (p.121) He adds "Ah no need no assistance tuh help me feed mah woman. From now on, you gointuh eat whutever mah money can buy yuh and wear de same." (p.128) His devoted words makes her finally believe that he truly loves her. From this point, Janie decides to believe in him and not doubt him.
The next place they move to is the Everglades. "Big Lake Okechobee, big beans, big cane, big weeds, big everything... Ground so rich that everything went wild." (p.129) This place was the perfect place to earn a good amount of money. Picking beans, gambling, practicing shooting, and just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, both Janie and Teacake have a fantastic time there. Janie even gets to work with Teacake. "What if Eatonville could see her now in her blue denim overalls and heavy shoes?" (p.134) She starts to laugh to herself about how she could not have even dreamed of wearing work clothes and working with the "low class people" in Eatonville. Even though work isn't easy, she enjoys and even loves her life here. "The men held big arguments here like they used to do on the store porch. Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk some herself if she wanted to." (p.134) She does not have to worry about keeping her high status in the Everglades. She can act in whatever manner she wants to, and be free of all the restrictions she had as being the mayor's wife. Here, she probably was able to say that she was truly happy and free.
One afternoon, Janie notices that the Indians started to move east.Warning that a hurricane is coming, they advise Janie and Teacake to move quickly. However, "you couldn't have a hurricane when you're making seven and eight dollars a day picking beans." (p.155) They just decide to conclude that "Indians are dumb anyhow, always were." (p.155) However, they soon find out that you cannot defy nature. A terrible hurricane comes their way, wiping out everything. They could not do anything but hope that god will help them. Their eyes were watching god. As they watch the horror, Teacake asks Janie- "But 'sposing you wuz tuh die, now. You wouldn't git mad at me for draggin' yuh heah?" (p.158) And Janie responds- "If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don't keer if you die at dusk." (p.158) This shows that since Janie attained her dream of true love, she will still be satisfied even if she dies. Her response surely shows that she has reached her ultimate happiness in life, having someone you love dearly next to you.
Luckily, in the end, they survive. However, Teacake gets severely ill. He has gotten rabies from the dog that bit him during the hurricane. He becomes weak, and extremely paranoid. To see more of the effect of rabies on humans, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies. His condition gets worse by the day. "Teacake was gone." (p.181) said Janie. And one day, Teacake exploded. He held up a gun to Janie and pulled the trigger. Thanks to Janie's swift thinking, the bullet was not there. As he pulled the trigger again, Janie had no choice but to shoot him with the rifle. He was dead. However, he was free of the pain and mental sufferings.
She returns to Eatonville with a stronger sense of herself. Zora Neale Hurston ends the book with this quote. "She pulled in the horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see." (p.193) This shows that Janie has further developed herself mentally. With all the men she loved gone, she is finally independent. She no longer has anyone to depend on. Janie can now look towards the future that is only about her. And not about someone else. Hurston ends the book with the quote to show the readers that Janie has finally become a true, mature woman that does not need anyone to rely on and carry her to the future.
I think that one of the most important symbols of this book is the horizon. The horizon signifies future or dreams in this book. "the biggest thing God ever made..." (p.89) Having a good future was always something meaningful to Janie. Even with Nanny, having a secure, good future was extremely important. Later on, of course, Janie's sense of horizon changed to a happier, satisfying future with a loved one. With Teacake, Janie's life was always revolved around him. Everything was with him. Nothing really was just for herself. However, as Teacake died, Janie finally realizes what it's like being independent. She no longer had anyone in her life. There was no Nanny, Logan, Joe, or Teacake. Janie now has to live her life herself, and plan out her future. I believe that Hurston's most important message in this book was that women are as capable as men. Women can live independently and plan out their future.
Overall, this book was very interesting. All the hidden values were great to read and analyze. I advise everyone to read Zora Neale Hurston's renowned novel Their eyes were watching god.
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