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.