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Zora Nelson Huston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Within societies, culture plays a huge role in shaping who a person becomes. What values they consent to and what would make them content and satisfied with life, otherwise said, happy. In a patriarchal racist community woman as a double minority suffer twice the burden of proving herself, defining her values, and finding what defines her. Some of these women choose to obey and submit and live life as given to them. Just a few stand up for themselves, speak up, fight toward their freedom and independence against all cultural norms and social constructions including race and patriarchy. Some people may suggest that in Zora Nelson Huston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God the main character Janie is in a continuous search for a true love. However, …show more content…

Tea Cake as his name announces, like a piece of cake with a cup of tea at the end of a very tiring and long day. The book demonstrates how similar tea cake to Janie’s horizon by announcing that he looked familiar to Janie. (Hurston, 94) The connection between them was made almost immediately. Freed from Nanny, the culture, Jody and Logan’s control, life’s rule of materialism to be secure and independent, now Janie can choose for herself the person with whom she is going to be and also whether or not to stay with them among a variety of options from all those who would die for Janie. Tea Cake’s playfulness, adventure, happiness, protection, respect and his artistic aspect brought back the vision of the peer tree and constituted a time-based definition of what natural marriage means. It seemed perfect to Janie. Tea Cake treated Janie as a grown up woman with a young soul and a perfect beauty while acknowledging her freedom to choose. Freedom to stay or to leave by constantly reminding her that she has the keys to the kingdom (Hurston, 121). Tea Cake was the source of happiness for Janie and the closest image to the peer tree, she learned to give, serve and be served with him. She thanks him for giving her the chance to love. She engrave him in her memory for his valuable lesson on how to love and be

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