Symbols: The Hurricane

In chapter 18, a hurricane hits Eatonville and devastates the town turning lives upside down and creating chaos. So far in the novel, nature has been a postive symbol, such as with the horizon and the pear tree. However, the hurricane emerges as a symbol of the destructive power of nature and illuminates different personalities to characters within the story by placing them in a life threatening situation. Janie and Tea Cake refuse to leave from Eatonville when they first hear of the hurricane, and by the time that they want to leave, it is too late. When the hurricane hits the town, Janie and Tea Cake huddle inside their house. Janie reveals to Tea Cake how glad she is to be married to him and to be in his presence in such a time. This simple admission of feelings gives Tea Cake the security he needs after he had been questioning Janie's true feelings since meeting Mr. Taylor. Tea Cake's character grows as the hurricane becomes more intense. He is forced into a protector role and a leader as he has to make the decision for them to leave Eatonville and brave the elements. Tea Cake uses all of his energy towards their esacape, and does not shy away from takig action to save his wife,"Then they had to swim a distance, and Janie could not hold up any more than a few strokes at a time, so Tea Cake bore her up..." (164). When Tea Cake is bitten by the rabid dog as a result of trying to escape the devastation of the hurricane, Janie's character also changes. Janie is forced to make difficult decisions in order to try to save herself and Tea Cake from Tea Cake himself. The most important decision of course is the decision to shoot Tea Cake out of self-defense. The hurricane and events as a result of the disaster cause Janie to lose her free nature and become more hardened and defined. "It was the meanest moment of eternity. A minute before she was just a scared human being fighting for its life. Now she was her sacrificing self with Tea Cake's head in her lap... Then the grief of outer darkness descended" (184). Janie cannot fully go back to being her carefree self after the hurricane and Tea Cake's death, although her bond with Tea Cake allows her to maintain an inner peace. Janie gains a sense of self after sharing the intimacy with Tea Cake that allowed them to survive the hurricane.
The hurricane also becomes a symbol for divinity within the story as the winds are compared to Gabriel within the bible, and the hurricane's power is connected to other biblical stories and the force of God. "They sat in company with the others in the other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (160). As those who stayed behind in Eatonville seek refuge from the hurricane, they begin to search for God in the hope that He might save them from death and the power of nature. They sense the might of God and understand that they cannot hope to measure up to the power of nature and God himself. They can simply watch and pray for reckoning.