Chapter 18-20

 Throughout these last few chapters, Janie notices many Native Americans leaving for the east along with animals and other people from the town because of the threat of a hurricane. Janie tries to convince Tea Cake to leave but he is confident in his gambling game and wants to stay. Soon enough the hurricane does come and Tea Cake, Janie, and Motor Boat are all left. We first see a significant mention of the title when all three of them are watching the walls waiting to see what will arrive. Hurston writes, "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" (160). Multiple instances in this chapter discuss how their eyes were watching God in wondering what would happen next. The hurricane continues to spread which forces Tea Cake and Janie to keep moving while leaving Motor Boat behind because he wants to sleep. In an attempt to get Tea Cake a piece of the roof to cover him, Janie falls into the water and has to grab a hold of a cow that has an angry dog on it. Tea Cake comes to help her but is bitten in the face by the dog while trying.  

    Tea Cake and Janie find a house to stay in but Tea Cake wanders around and ends up being called to work burying people by two white men. The white people who died will get coffins while the black people are thrown into a hole. The guards make it clear that they can not try to mix the people up. A man next to Tea Cake says, "Look lak dey think God don't know nothin' 'bout de Jim Crow law" (171). The theme of racism is very apparent throughout this chapter because there is a clear segregation of the difference of treatment between black and white people. Even though everyone is supposed to be equal, black people are treated significantly worse. 

    Later in chapter 19, we learn that a mad dog bit Tea Cake and there is a small chance of his survival. Tea Cake progressively becomes more aggressive. He starts to sleep with a loaded gun under his pillow and when Janie went off to find the doctor, Tea Cake thinks she is going out to see another man which sets him off. She suggests they go to the hospital but Tea Cake is very sick in the mind which causes him to think Janie is too lazy to take care of him. He then points the pistol at Janie which snapped. Janie knowing that there are only three empty barrels left causes her to use her rifle to shoot Tea Cake after he pulls the trigger two more times. This act of self-protection shows that Janie has become an individual. She has the strength to kill the one person she truly loved out of self-defense. Janie is taken to court where she explains the story and her love for Tea Cake. She is found innocent but there is a shift in the people who support her. She is applauded by the white women while the black folks resent her. It is seen that color does not always define peoples' wants but the humanity inside of them and the cultural concepts they live by. 

    The novel ends with her finishing her story to Phoebe and finding peace within herself and the memory she has of Tea Cake. Hurston writes, "She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder" (193). Janie has found her horizon and even though she no longer has Tea Cake with her, she has blossomed into a strong, independent woman.

Chapter 13-17

 

Throughout these chapters, I noticed a lot of foreshadowing of the scene in the first chapter. On page 116, we learn that Janie leaves town in a blue dress, which was referenced on page 2: "Can't she find no dress to put on?- Where's dat blue satin dress she left here in?" We see it again at the end of chapter 14 (you're welcome Rebecca) when Janie is thinking about Eatonville and how the town would react if they saw her in overalls. As we know, she comes back in overalls, so we know how they respond. 

These chapters are a rollercoaster when it comes to emotions about Tea Cake. Janie seems happy with him but sometimes makes TC seem like a questionable guy (or as Mrs. Meltesen would put it, sus). For one, he steals Janie's money and spends it without asking her. Then, he didn't come back for a while and Janie understandably spun out. Then less than a page later, he tells her how much he loves her and how he never looks at another girl. TC then opens up about his gambling "abilities" or addiction, whichever way you see it. He wins a lot of money, but he also gets stabbed. I'd rather not see my husband get stabbed, so I'm sure Janie is going through a lot of emotions. Janie then talks about self-crushing love, which does not sound good. Janie also mentions some jealousy in these chapters and some interesting stuff seems to happen. TC is an odd dude and I don't know how to feel about him. 

Then, we meet Mrs. Turner. Boy oh boy is she a character. She is obsessed with whiteness to an unhealthy level. Because of it and the things she says about TC, TC wants her to move out of town. So he and his friends create a fight, and she ends up leaving town. I'm glad she is gone. She was quite toxic and believes strongly in colorism. It was hard to read about how mean she was to her fellow humans. I can understand why she feels the way she does, but I think her actions are unjustified. I am in no way saying that colorism is ok, I am noting that it exists. She is not the type of person I would be friends with. While she idolizes Janie, she also brings her down. She talks badly about people and does not seem like a pleasant person to be around.

 As I mentioned earlier, these chapters felt like a true rollercoaster, and I came out having no idea what is going to happen next and having no idea of what to think. The only thing we can do is read on.