When I read this line back in Chapter 13, it really caught my attention, one of those lines that make you stop what your reading and think about it a little. With that one sentence, "So her soul crawled out from its hiding place," I think Hurston truly illustrates what Tea Cake means to Janie, but with really interesting imagery. This line brought a strange picture into my mind; all I could think of is a soul, so in my mind a spirit-type looking thing to be exact, coming out of a crawl space in an attic.
In her previous marriage to Joe, Janie had to force her soul into this crawl space. She could not be herself, she could not even speak her mind; Joe even says "...mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home" (43). In that one sentence, Joe suppresses all that Janie is, by categorizing her as a "woman" who's place "is in de home." Joe even makes her tie up her hair, hiding her true beauty, forcing her soul farther and farther into it's cramped hiding space. She eventually lashes out at Joe, but that instance is not a release of her soul; it is rather revenge for its imprisonment.
Loving Tea Cake is what finally frees Janie. She can be all she could not be with Joe. She wears her hair down, she says what she wants without worrying. She socializes with other people, whereas with Joe she was afraid to sit on the porch outside the store and express her opinion to others. Through all of these actions, and this beautiful line, Hurston demonstrates that Janie's soul has come out from the crawl space, stretched, and dusted itself off to be all it was before it went into hiding, thanks to Tea Cake.
This is what happens when you type "crawl space" into Google images. Not quite what I had in mind, but it serves its purpose... :)
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ReplyDeleteOkay Carolyn...my post just deleted (well actually I deleted it...so I have to retype it...)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I really like your picture (is that supposed to be a basement? =p ) I think it really captures how suppressed Janie was during her marriage with Joe Starks. It also illustrates clearly the difference Janie felt when she was with Tea Cake, with her soul being free. (which is what you said and I agree!)
I agree with what Carolyn is analyzing in this blog. However, I want to add to it. I feel that Logan really started Janie's confinement. He demanded that she do what he wanted. To me, his enslavement on Janie was paramount to a gerbil on a treadmill. She is stuck in this wheel of life until she steps off the wheel and joins the at-the-time nice Joe Stark.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments, and I love the way you describe her "crawl space". Good observations about the character of Janie's hair being different during her marriages to Tea Cake and Joe.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you compared where Janie's feelings went (trapped within her) to a crawl space. It really helps me picture how she felt with all of her feeling trapped inside her! Janie was once suppressed (with her two other husbands) but with teacake, she can finally let her feelings come out. The picture also made me laugh for some reason.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good analysis, this quote also made me stop and realize everything it was revealing. I really like the image you used, it captured the idea of her soul being abused.
ReplyDeleteThe picture you chose is even more dire than an attic crawl space. This is a crawl space under a house (rather than a basement, it's a small area below a one story house that the plumbing and electrical circuitry is wired. The one pictured even has a dirt floor!!!) Crawl spaces like these harbor all kinds of nasty things such as rodents, spiders, and other varmints. Without light, this type of crawl space is pitch dark. It was a great choice for the imagery of Janie's life, pre Tea Cake. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteI might add that this type of crawlspace was very popular in the day and is probably what the author had in mind for Janie's comment.
ReplyDeleteAwesome and interesting article. Great things you've always shared with us. Thanks. Just continue composing this kind of post. interpretation
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