On the down side, I’m certain my students won’t like TEWWG any more than Scarlet Letter. Hurston’s prose is more accessible than Hawthorne’s archaic formality, but her colloquial dialogue will undoubtedly be harder. Both books are about women finding their autonomy against men seeking control—a theme I appreciate but for which the boys will show little interest.
On the plus side, TEWWG should pair well with The Great Gatsby, both because of their similar time periods and their commentary on different versions of the American Dream.
TEWWG follows Janie--a Black woman in Florida during the early 1900s--through childhood and then three marriages: first to cold Logan, then to controlling Jody, and finally to devoted Tea Cake. The novel's central focus is Janie's self-awakening and growth.
I’ve read snippets debating whether or not TEWWG is a “feminist novel” (interestingly, a similar debate follows Scarlet Letter). As in most great literature, the answer is not clear cut. Janie’s life is defined entirely by her relationship with men. She has no substantive female friendships. Heck, I think the novel might fail the Bechdel test! Over the course of the novel, Janie learns to exert autonomy, though that autonomy is in the service of men. She abandons Logan, but only to go off with Jody. When Jody dies, she subverts her community’s expectations, but only to be with Tea Cake. Her fawning devotion to Tea Cake is almost cringe-inducing. When he steals her money and holds a party without her, she only chastises him for not inviting her. Later there’s a particularly awful scene where Tea Cake beats Janie to prove his control to a potential suitor.
Then again, Janie is a character whose growth is in learning not to settle—in demanding access to the love and autonomy she desires. Who am I to criticize because she finds those qualities in a man? With the exception of the scene above, the relationship between Janie and Tea Cake is largely one of equals, perhaps not so much by modern standards, but in the sense that both partners have their needs met; both partners feel heard and valued. At the end of the novel, Tea Cake develops rabies after being bit by a dog while saving Janie, and Janie is forced to shoot and kill him to protect herself. Though she's upset to have lost Tea Cake, she doesn't fall into self-recrimination or depression. She knows her actions were justified, and she returns to her former town with her head held high, wearing her favorite comfy overalls.
Thus, I think the best answer to the novel's relationship to feminist ideals is "it's complicated," which I like. There will be more to talk about!
In addition to debate over Hurston's feminism, there's been discussion about the novel's place in African-American literature. Though I've considerably upped the number of books I'm reading by and/or about people of color, I've realized how many are still centered on racism and discrimination. While those are important topics, I know it's important to see a diversity of experience. TEWWG is entirely about Black Americans--and a segment of Black America. There are almost no white characters, and while issues surrounding racism such as economic opportunity are present, it's not the primary focus of the novel. In that way, I think the book serves as an important complement to other canonical African-American works.
I frequently listened to audiobooks when I lived in Philadelphia but have long fell out of the habit. Given its reliance on dialect, Hurston's novel was a good choice with which to return. The narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between the many characters, but my only complaint is that her performance of Janie suggested Janie was always on the verge of belly laughs or hysterical crying. The plaintive tone she often adopted in intense moments undermined some of Janie's strength.
I'm nervous about teaching the novel next year. I fear I won't be able to surmount my students' disinterest. But at least we won't spend a quarter languishing over sin and adultery.
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