Notes

In her forward to the novel, Edwidge Danticat writes “Tea Cake gives his life for Janie, and this, if nothing else, serves as some atonement for many of his sins.” Do you agree that Tea Cake has committed “sins” in the book? Why or why not? Do you agree that Hurston portrays his actions as “atonement”? Why or why not?

In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," the character Tea Cake commits several "sins," or immoral actions, in accordance with the language used by Edwidge Danticat. One of these actions was when "he ... whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him" (Hurston 130). Hitting her for no reason but to relieve himself is an action of pure selfishness, benefiting nobody but himself and hurting her in the process. This is in clear violation of Janie and her interests, especially when she does not have control over it. In the end, when Tea Cake is killed by Janie during his fit of blind, rabid rage, he is not dying for Janie; instead his mind has been lost to rabies, and thus he is not atoning for his sins in his death. Hurston describes Tea Cake's mind as, "The fiend in him must kill and Janie was the only living thing he saw" (Hurston 162). Tea Cake clearly does not have control over his body, so his actions aren't his own, meaning that Tea Cake himself cannot take any actions to commit more or atone for any of his sins. While his rabies are a result of him saving Janie from a rabid dog, he did not know that this could kill him, and he did not do it to make up for something that he has done in the past, he just did it because he loves her. While Tea Cake's death is the result of a selfless action, he does not do it to atone for anything he has done in the past.