"Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay, Final Draft"

Alex Lebowitz

Mrs. Nichole Wilson

AP Literature & Composition

16 December 2014     

Self-Actualization Achieved Through Mutual Respect

In, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, a recurrent clash against an unbending social order and destitute position marks the coming-of-age story of Janie Woods, a mixed African-American woman, up against enormous odds including poverty, womanhood, and race.  In successfully negotiating obstacles throughout her life including broken marriages, obvious racism, and inherent oppression, it is argued that Janie’s new-found sense of happiness in the end of the novel embodies her transcendence to self-actualization in recognizing her inherent, undying love for her former husband Tea Cake.  The inspiration for Janie’s love for Tea Cake is based on Tea Cake’s unique temperament, marked by his desire for mutual respect and his ability to treat Janie as an equal, and ironically outweighs his and other men’s shortcomings in physically and emotionally abusing Janie. 

            In matching Janie’s desire to be treated as an equal, Tea Cake inclusion of Janie in his daily activities and life allow for Janie to achieve her initial desire in becoming an equal to her husband as well as enjoying the pleasures of the world.  In her former marriages, Janie would often be relegated to the role of the housewife, subservient to the wishes of her spouse.  In this example from Jody Starks, the inequality gap that is evident is revealed by his proclamation stating, “…Ah’m uh man even if Ah is de mayor.  But de mayor’s wife is somethin’ different again… you ain’t goin’ off in all dat mess uh commonness” (60).  Unlike Jody or Logan, Tea Cake acts and treats Janie differently.  He ultimately provides her with a greater sense of equality and respect by including her in his traditionally independent activities like gambling, when Janie demands, “Looka heah, Teak Cake, if you ever go off from me and have a good time lak dat and then come back heah tellin” me how nice Ah is, Ah specks tuh kill uh dead.  You heah me” (124).  His response includes, “…you aims tuh partake wid everything… Dat’s all Ah wants tuh know.  From now on you’se mah wife and mah woman and everything else in de world Ah needs” (124).  This full inclusion of Janie into Tea Cakes life, is unprecedented to Janie, who later becomes excited when learning to place gambling games with Tea Cake.  Its significance is marked by the indirect realization that Tea Cake is the only man of Janie’s three marriages that has gone so far to give to Janie, so as to secure her happiness.  Ironically, Tea Cake still abuses Janie much like Janie’s other husbands did.  In the beginning of Chapter 17, he slaps her to show dominance and command her loyalty to him.  In other instances where this occurred, Janie would be discontent feeling mistreated and abused as she would rightfully so.  However, Tea Cakes overwhelming influence in providing her a sense of respect and equality that no other man had provided her is enough to make her overlook Tea Cake’s outbursts and shortcomings and rationalize them as justified, when in reality they were just as wrong as any physical or emotional aggression towards women.    

            In Janie’s progression to this final stage of personal growth, the contrasting culmination of her last marriage with her other marriages reveals the power and positive influence with which Tea Cake had created for Janie.  No other marriage compared with similar resulting positivity or happiness for Janie.  Jody Stark’s marriage exemplifies an unparalleled discontent between the two spouses, “The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor.  It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit, but in never went back inside the bedroom against” (71).  This contrasts starkly with the intimacy between Janie and Tea Cake, in which there relationship blossomed beyond the pear tree, and provided Janie with both her need for love and for self-esteem within her marriage to Tea Cake.  Additionally, the lack of respect that each Jody Stark and Janie had given each other illustrates the inability of the couple to manage and resolve conflict, as demonstrated by Jody’s repetitive physical and verbal bullying of Janie, “You oughta throw somethin’ over yo’ shoulders befo’ you go outside.  You ain’t no young pullet no mo’.  You’se uh ole hen now” (77).  This differs sharply from Tea Cake and Janie’s management of marital troubles, especially when Janie accuses Tea Cake of cheating in which he states, “Naw, never, and you know it too.  Ah didn’t want her… Whut would Ah do wid dat lil chunk of a woman wid you around” (138).  It is obvious that Tea Cake fulfills much more than Janie’s need for love, intimacy, and self-esteem, but rather formulates a mutual respect between the two, that defines their marriage and allows for its success. 

            The most fundamental trait of a self-actualized individual involves self-fulfillment.  In Janie’s situation this is highlighted through her steadfast love for her third and final husband, Tea Cake.  However, it is revealed that Tea Cake dies at the hands of his wife, a death brought on in self-defense of Tea Cake’s illness.  Hurston describes the aftermath for Janie as, “…the meanest moment of eternity… the grief of outer darkness descended” (184).  Not only does Janie Woods experience this personal anguish in killing her own husband for her life, she faces the tragedy and humiliation of being put on trial for murder of her most beloved.  It is assumed that such unfortunate events would ruin a person forever, but not Janie.  Janie Woods is found acquitted returning to her origins in Eatonville, FL where she recites her tale to her friend Phoeby.   It is at the conclusion of this conversation that reveals the progression of psychological development of Janie since her husband’s death.  Surprisingly, it is not one of despair for her husband.  Rather, Janie describes a positive atmosphere an outlook in conveying her present feelings.  She believes that, “Tea Cake… could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking.  The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall.  Here was peace” (193).  This final and concluding realization pays homage to Janie’s remarkable tenacity as a Mixed African-American Woman enduring the hardship of death and the equal hardship of matching the societal values of the women of her time.  It furthermore, illustrates her remarkable resolve in overcoming substantial emotional trials in the midst of tragedy, and underlies her new-found resolve and mental schema as that of self-actualization.