Two Notable Passages
" "Good evenin', Mis' Starks" he said with a sly grin as if they had a good joke together. She was in favor of the story that was making him laugh before she even heard it"
With this piece of narration, Hurston explains Janie's first impression of Tea Cake. I am impressed with her originality. By explaining it this way, Hurston conveys a feeling her readers can identify with without mentioning anything about how Janie felt. Hurston "says it without saying it", and she communicates a feeling in one line that would take a paragraph to explain. And that paragraph probably wouldn't match up to Hurston's narration either. Especially if I tried to write it. It is lines like this one that showcase Hurston's talent.
"The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof"
Here, Hurston is Narrating about Janie's thoughts of death. In this line, she relates how hard it is for Janie to fully understand death. Hurston compares death to a platform without sides and a roof. The platform is the death of one's body. It is the definite beginning of death. But other than that, Janie doesn't understand it. Hence, the platform's lack of a roof or sides. It is an impressive analogy. Again, Hurston is "saying it without saying it."
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