You all know that I LOVE me some Their Eyes Were Watching God.
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Anthony Neal posted a piece about Tea Cake as an Imagined Black Feminist Manhood.
I like the idea of taking Tea Cake for this purpose. However, I was insistent that Tea Cakes violence be dealt with front and center.
In particular, I took issue with the fact that Neal rephrased the beating as occasional hitting. Which was problematic.
We went back and forth over it,? and he came to see my point about the importance of violence being acknowledged and I acknowledged that Tea Cake represents a possibility, not perfection. But I been on the symbolism of Janie and Tea Cake? since January. TC and J helped me open my heart to Loving and being Loved again.
So, you know the historian in me went back and re-read the passage where Tea Cake beat Janie. I was actually light weight mortified and reaffirmed that I stuck to my guns because of the explicitness regarding his motivations and reaffirmed.? Hurston writes,
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When Mrs. Turners brother came and she brought him over to be introduced, Tea Cake had a brainstrom. Before week was over had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relived that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss. Everybody talked about it the next day in teh fields. It aroused a sort of envy in both men and women. The way he petted and pampered her as if those two or three face slaps had nearly killed her made the women see visions and the helpless way she hung on him made the men see dreams.
“Tea Cake you sho is a lucky man,” Sop-de-Bottom told him. “Uh person can see every place you hit her. Ah bet she never raised her hand tuh hit yuh back, neither. Take some uh dese ol’ rusty black women and dey would fight yuh all night long and next day. Nobody couldn’t tell you ever hit ’em. Dat’s de reasons Ah doe quit beatin’ mah woman. You can’t make no mark on ’em at all. Lawd! Wouldn’t Ah love tuh whip uh tender woman lak Janie! Ah bet she don’t even holler. She jus cries Tea Cake.
Yeah.
What was bugged out was when I re-read it, its like he beat her on general principal.? Like I’m insecure, so let me knock the shit out of you a little bit and let everybody know wassup. #ummp.
Thoughts about Tea Cake and Janie?
Remember when I went from looking for Tea Cake to becoming Janie?
Josephine recently said that she BEYOND becoming Janie, ummhmm.
“What was bugged out was when I re-read it, its like he beat her on general principal. Like I?m insecure, so let me knock the shit out of you a little bit and let everybody know wassup. #ummp.”
Damn. Got me thinking how this is replayed regularly on an emotional level. Patriarchy gives men the space to be emotionally violent for the same reasons stated in this quote.
Lawd. Why you start this up. One of the things that I love about Zora is her ability to present Black people as fully developed human beings with flaws and favor. She reminds us that even in our simplest and some may say meager moments we are full of wisdom and purpose…we are each a story.
That being said, I often wonder how much of herself Zora poured into Janie. In studying her biography I realize that like Janie, Zora tried hard to always love first and most, but her lovers felt that somehow in order to “possess” her they had to break her spirit. Zora speaks of one of her own marriages where she just could not be what he wanted her to be and how it made her sad. Has me thinking a lot about myself.
One writer observes (in reference to all three of Janie’s marriages), “Each husband is chauvinistic in some way and each marriage degenerates into banality, or worse, abuse.” I think it is important to note that Zora characterized Janie and her marriages in that way intentionally. Also, Zora makes sure that the reader doesn’t concentrate on the beating as much as the attitude surrounding it, the mental and emotional aspects of the physical manifestation, the culture of abuse, the use of abuse to possess (which we know have some remnants of our enslaved past)
The beating is so symbolic. I can’t with Zora or you. I love you girl. You might have to fly down when I defend my thesis. Bravo.
Well, lets keep it even. Women can be violent as well. One thing I Love about bell hook’s Feminism is for everybody is
that she talks about the violence that black mommas inflict on their children through whooping.
This is an incredibly hot button topic. However it is salient. If Feminism is about an intervention on ALL violence,
in the club, on the street, in the police station, at work, then we have to look at women and children as well.
I am not saying that THIS was in the book. What I am saying is that women can be violent as well and we
have to center that too.
Josephine!
The beating is so symbolic. I can?t with Zora or you. I love you girl. You might have to fly down when I defend my thesis.
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You gone make me cry girl.
If it is within my means I am there. Shit, we could even try and crowd source it on our blogs.
“Fly nains out to see Josephine work her Zora Magic.” #awesome. Oui?
I think it is important to note that Zora characterized Janie and her marriages in that way intentionally. Also, Zora makes sure that the reader doesn?t concentrate on the beating as much as the attitude surrounding it
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Yeah. I felt this, but I didn’t say this. BUT you are the Zora expert. #ummhmm.
I often wonder how much of herself Zora poured into Janie. In studying her biography I realize that like Janie, Zora tried hard to always love first and most, but her lovers felt that somehow in order to ?possess? her they had to break her spirit.
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#BlackGirlsarefromtheFuturewhentheysaySHITlikethis.
Tea Cake + Janie
Ike + Tina
Al Green + Mary Woodson
Mike Tyson + Robin Givens
Chris Brown + Rihanna
Biggie + Kim
David Ruffin +Tami Terrell
Big Pun + Liza Rios
#ummp. I had to list em.