Theme Of Love In Their Eyes Were Watching God

One of the biggest themes in, "Their eyes were watching God" is Janie’s quest for love and independence. Janie has a goal throughout the novel to find enlightenment within herself and reach the "horizon". She went through several relationships and absurd thoughts to do this, through her grandmother nanny and her three husbands. However, her third husband, Tea Cake plays a less substantial role in the progression of the novel but a significant role in Janie’s quest to reach her dream of love and security within herself.

In the beginning of the book, Hurston foreshadows Janie’s quest for love. She was lying, stretched on her back underneath the pear tree, soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath

“ She couldn’t make him look just like any other man to her. He looked like the love thoughts of a women. He could be a bee to a pear tree blossom in the spring.” “He was a glance from God.” Tea Cake was so different than any other guy Janie had been with, he fulfilled her ultimate goal of physical and mental attraction. “But it was always going to be dark if Tea Cake didn’t come back soon.” Janie makes it very clear that Tea Cake means everything to her, and unlike Jody and Logan, she wanted to spend every second with Tea Cake. “So you aims tuh Partake wid everything, hunh?” “ Dat would be fine, Tea cake, exceptin’ you know Ah can’t shoot. But Ah’d love tuh go wid you.” “ Dancing, fighting, singing, crying, laughing, winning, and losing love every hour.” Janie ran away from Logan and didn’t really care when Jody died, but she has a strong mental connection with Tea Cake, which represents the vision of love she saw outside the pear tree between the bee and the flower. Another example which shows the strength of their love is when Tea Cake risks his life to save Janie’s. “ The dog stood up and growled like a lion, stiff standing hackles, stiff muscles, teeth uncovered as he lashed up his fury for the charge.” “Tea Cake split the water like an otter, opening his knife as he dived.” This section is important to Janie, it shows how much Tea Cake loves her by risking his life for Janie and reinforces the idea that she has, that Tea Cake is her “bee.” Janie sees the effect that Tea Cake had on her life after she had to kill him. “ Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving service. She had to hug him tight for soon he would be gone, and she had to tell him for the last time.” Tea Cake’s death was the final thing that Janie needed to experience to grow into her enlightened mindset. Tea Cake fulfilled Janie’s