Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
THE LIMITS OF LOVEMAKING AND
COMMUNITY: INFERTILITY IN
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD
TRUDIER HARRIS
Uni e si y o Alabama
ha is13@ua. edu
Recei ed 20 July 2017
Accep ed 1 No embe 2017
KEYWORDS
Pea ee; e ili y; in e ili y; sexuali y; p egnancy; o sp ing; g ow h;
communi y; esponsibili y; dys unc ionali y.
PALABRAS CLAVE
Pe al; e ilidad; in e ilidad; sexualidad; emba azo; descendencia;
c ecimien o; comunidad; esponsabilidad; dis uncionalidad.
ABSTRACT
Janie C aw o d, he p o agonis in Zo a Neale Hu s on‟s Thei Eyes
We e Wa ching God (1937), ne e ully g ows up o in eg a es
comple ely in o any o he communi ies o which she is a pa in he
no el. She he e o e emains “in e ile” in se e al ela ionships and
communi ies ha showcase di e se kinds o “ e ili y,” whe he ha
e ili y is Logan Killicks‟s p oduc i i y wi h his a mland, Jody
S a ks‟s successes in building Ea on ille, o e en Tea Cake‟s skills a
gambling and gui a -playing. No ma e he en i onmen , Janie
emains ou side o sys ems o e ili y, mo e child-like han adul ,
which means ha he blossoming pea ee image ha su ounds
he , and which seems o epi omize sexuali y and e ili y, is was ed
on Janie, because she e uses o g ow up and become e ile ei he
by p oc ea ing o by con ibu ing c ea i ely o he communi ies in
which she li es.
RESUMEN
Janie C aw o d, la p o agonis a de Sus ojos mi aban a Dios (1937),
de Zo a Neale Hu s on, nunca se hace del odo adul a ni se in eg a
comple amen e en ninguna de las comunidades de las que o ma
pa e en la no ela. Po an o, pe manece “es é il” en a ias
elaciones y comunidades que son emblemá icas de di e en es ipos
de “ e ilidad,” sea es a e ilidad la p oduc i idad de Logan Killicks
con su g anja, los éxi os de Jody S a ks en la cons ucción de
Ea on ille, o incluso las habilidades de Tea Cake pa a el juego y la
170 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
gui a a. En cualquie a que sea su en o no, Janie pe manece ue a
de los sis emas de e ilidad, más in an il que adul a, lo que signi ica
que la imagen del pe al en lo que la acompaña, y que pa ece se el
epí ome de la sexualidad y la e ilidad, se despe dicia en el caso de
Janie, ya que ella se niega a c ece y a con e i se en é il ya sea
p oc eando o con ibuyendo de o ma c ea i a a las comunidades en
las que i e.
Le ‟s s a wi h he blossoming pea ee, which is whe e mos
schola s begin when hey wan o discuss sexuali y—and by
ex ension, e ili y—in Zo a Neale Hu s on‟s classic no el, Thei Eyes
We e Wa ching God (1937). F om he momen hose a ching calyxes
ise o mee he pollina ing bee, Hu s on o e s images o budding
and un ep essed sexuali y and g ow h implici ly i no explici ly
h oughou he ex . When p o agonis Janie C aw o d is so s i ed
by ha na u al pollina ion ha she kisses he no-coun Johnny
Taylo in ull iew o he g andmo he , sexuali y looms o e he ex .
G andmo he Nanny wan s Janie o ge ma ied igh away because
she senses ha ans o ma i e sexual changes a e upon Janie.
Ra he han un he isk o a wildly sexual Janie b inging an
illegi ima e child in o he home, Nanny de e mines ha Janie should
ma y Logan Killicks, a neighbo ing a me , and con ain he
po en ially explosi e sexuali y wi hin a ma iage bed. Well, we know
how ha u ns ou . Janie is bo ed ou o he skull wi h Logan‟s
un oman ic body and beha io s, as well as his smelly ee , and she
ca es no hing o his s a us o six y ac es o land and an o gan in he
pa lo . Wha is e en mo e s iking is ha a no el ha begins in such
wond ous sensuali y and po en ial e ili y de ol es in o ba enness
and innuendo a he han explici culmina ion o he sexual opic
Hu s on has in oduced. The Zo a Neale Hu s on who is so
iconoclas ic in p ac ically e e y hing else she does abandons
sensuali y, sexuali y, and e ili y in a o o ba ely oman icized
adeo s o in ima e engagemen .
I use e ili y in his discussion, i s , o e e o biological
p oc ea i i y and hen o e e o p oduc i e g ow h o con ibu ions
o amilial o social ins i u ions. Cha ac e s whom I e e ence as
in e ile, hen, yield no biological ep oduc ion du ing he cou se o
he na a i e; in o he wo ds, he majo cha ac e s in he no el,
including Janie, Logan, Jody, and Tea Cake, nei he mo he no
a he child en. No do hey seem o ha e any in e es in doing so.
Among he hings ha eade s migh conside hei p io i ies,
The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 171
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
p egnancy and child en ha e no anking a all. In e ili y does no
mean ha he cha ac e s canno ha e child en; i means ha he e
is no indica ion wha soe e ha hey desi e child en o e en hink
abou hem. Second, despi e his conspicuous biological lack, he e
a e a ious kinds o e ili y in he na a i e, including na u al
(plan s, ees, he a ming ha Logan does), social (building he own
o Ea on ille), cul u al (abundan olk ma e ials ha sus ain and
en e ain), poli ical (Jody S a ks‟s en u es as mayo ), comme cial
(Jody‟s building he s o e and s a ing he pos o ice, among o he s),
and in e pe sonal (Tea Cake, o example, eaching Janie how o play
checke s, ish, and shoo ). In a sou he n wo ld lush wi h plan -li e
and p oduc i e people, Janie, who is a woman wi hou child en and
who is locked ou side he in ima e in e wo kings o mos o he
communi ies in which she esides, is su p isingly in e ile.
While I use in e ili y o e e o he biological lack o ha ing
child en, I u he use i o e e o he psychological, emo ional, and
social s a es o cha ac e s, pa icula ly Janie. I posi ha amily
uni s and socie ies in he ex a e based upon he willing
pa icipa ion o a ious o hei membe s in o de o ensu e o de ly
unc ioning. When membe s a e physically wi hin such uni s and
socie ies bu a e ou side o hem psychologically o e use o
con ibu e o hem, hen a s a e o in e ili y exis s. Fo example, a
husband migh easonably expec a wi e o con ibu e o he success
o he household, as Logan does wi h Janie. I she does no , hen a
s a e o dys unc ionali y eigns, a s a e ha I e e o as in e ili y. A
he socie al le el, o icials migh easonably expec ha ci izens o a
pa icula ci y will pay hei ai sha e in axes so ha essen ial
se ices such as wa e and sewage and oad epai can be
main ained. I e enues a e insu icien , hen he ci y canno ope a e
e ec i ely. The esul ing dys unc ionali y alls unde my de ini ion o
in e ili y; he ci y s agna es, ax-paying ci izens become disg un led,
and he s a e could bo de on chaos. The e can be li le p oduc i e
g ow h ( e ili y) o mo emen o wa d gi en hese ci cums ances.
These expec a ions mani es hemsel es in Ea on ille when ci izens
join Mayo Jody S a ks in con ibu ing hogs o he ba becue o
celeb a e he lamp ligh ing as well as when hey con ibu e swea
equi y o clea ing/building a oad. By joining in he hea y wo k, he
disg un led ew a e social in e ili y and hus p e en communal
s agna ion.
I also use in e ili y o e e speci ically o Janie‟s seeming
p e e ence o emain in a childlike s a e ins ead o p og essing
172 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
owa d ma u i y and becoming a p oduc i e membe o wha e e
ins i u ion o communi y o which she is a pa . As I will illus a e,
mo e o en han no , Janie inds he sel esis ing wha e e g own-up,
adul ac ions migh be equi ed o he and looking backwa d o he
s a e o innocence, a s a e ha ge s iconized in he ex wi h he
blossoming pea ee. I onically, he image o e ili y ha in o ms
he image ha mos in luences Janie is simul aneously he image o
which Janie can ne e li e up, ha is, gi ing he sel wholly o
na u al impulses and joining in c ea ion. Fu he , Janie ep esen s
in e ili y in he ways in which she is/allows he sel o be posi ioned
in ela ion o he men in he li e, especially o Jody. Janie is
c ammed in o spaces whe e she will no o canno espond by
becoming a e ile, ha is, con ibu ing membe o a uni o socie y.
Ins ead, she is o ced ou side o he socie y, in o he ba en in e ili y
o isola ion om he membe s o he e y communi y in Ea on ille o
which she so despe a ely wan s o be a pa and inally om Jody
himsel . Ini ially by choice and hen by social/spousal con ol, Janie
leads a ba en exis ence in he mids o p oc ea i i y and g ow h all
a ound he .
Again—le ‟s begin a he beginning. The sexuali y ha Nanny
hough would be Janie‟s lo a e wa ching he kiss Johnny Taylo is
nowhe e o be ound in Janie‟s ela ionship wi h Logan Killicks. O
cou se Janie does no conside Logan pa icula ly a ac i e.
Howe e , i she is such an un es ained sexual being, hen ce ainly
he e could be a leas one scene in he ex o illus a e how ha
plays i sel ou in a momen o passion—o e en how i does no play
ou . Ins ead, Hu s on allows Janie o slip in o a ma iage, complain
abou i , and e en depa om i wi hou e e ha ing shown any
inkling o he sexual in imacy o ha ma iage. Mo e impo an —and
wha becomes an issue h oughou he ex —is ha he p esumably
sensual, sexual Janie C aw o d Killicks ne e once men ions menses
o e en emo ely conside s he ealis ic possibili y o p egnancy.
Janie ope a es du ing he ma iage o Logan Killicks as i she is on a
pe manen o m o bi h con ol, o , pe haps mo e nai ely, as i she
doesn‟ know whe e babies come om. When Nanny asks i she is
p egnan , Janie dismisses he idea so quickly ha i seems as i she
does no ecognize he body as being capable o p egnancy. She
mo es om a leas gi ing he idea a passing hough by saying,
blushingly, “No‟m, Ah don‟ hink so anyhow” o absolu e ce ain y
ha she is no p egnan : “Ah‟m all igh da way. Ah know „ ain‟
The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 173
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
no hin‟ de e” (Hu s on 21). How is i , hen, ha a p esumably
heal hy young woman, po ayed in a pe iod when bi h con ol was
p ac ically unhea d o in he communi y, can engage in p egnancy-
p oo sex no jus h ough one ma iage bu h ough h ee?
Equally as s iking, why is i ha no one o Janie‟s husbands
is conce ned abou o sp ing? This is especially ema kable wi h
Logan Killicks, who is ope a ing in an his o ical ime pe iod when
A ican Ame icans we e linked o he soil and a ming, indeed when
many o hem we e bound o sha ec opping, and du ing which
ha ing as many o sp ing as possible was no only a pleasu able
engagemen bu an economic necessi y. Ye Logan only a emp s—
bunglingly so— o ge a mule o Janie o plow ins ead o b oaching
he subjec o a he ing an o sp ing o assis him in his wo k. We
migh easonably expec ha Jody S a ks, who wo ks so diligen ly o
acqui e huge amoun s o land and p ope y, would wan a son o
inhe i bo h ins ead o being con en wi h Hezekiah o se e as his
deli e y boy. Ye , i is no ewo hy ha Jody ne e men ions babies
o p egnancy, and he e is ne e a momen in he no el when he and
Janie sha e in ima e momen s in bed. S ikingly, e en on hei
wedding nigh , hey a e con en o ac like a sexless old ma ied
couple ins ead o making mad—o a leas passiona e—lo e. Hu s on
w i es o hei ac i i y ollowing hei ma iage ce emony: “They sa
on he boa ding house po ch and saw he sun plunge in o he same
c ack in he ea h om which he nigh eme ged” (Hu s on 31). The
nex sen ence, which begins a new chap e , is ha hey a e on a
ain on hei way o Mai land. The an icipa ed blossoming pea ees
and blooms ha Jody‟s p esence p omised ini ially ge pushed in o
he backg ound in a o o espec abili y and hen in a o o a
capi alis ic agenda. Jody may be e ile—imp essi ely so—in
nu u ing and g owing he own o Ea on ille economically and
socially, bu he is woe ully lacking in any e ili y in he bed oom.
Janie‟s amous insul o Jody— ha , when he akes down his pan s,
he looks like he change o li e (Hu s on 75)—is pe haps he ul ima e
condemna ion in his in e ili y heme. Wha is change o li e bu he
absence o he abili y o p oc ea e? E en mo e insul ing is ha Janie
applies a concep usually associa ed wi h emales o he apidly-
declining Jody and hus sha e s his blus e ing male ego. The
inciden highligh s his in e ili y so insul ingly ha he can only slap
Janie in esponse.
E en he p ized Tea Cake, whom Janie conside s he long-
awai ed bee o he blossom, is no he leas conce ned abou

174 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
a he ing child en and es ablishing a li ing legacy. We could a gue
ha his i ine an li es yle makes him he leas o he h ee husbands
who would be in e es ed in ha possibili y; howe e , his supposed
passion o Janie migh easonably be expec ed o include a
componen de o ed o hei u u e and any li ing legacy he couple
migh lea e behind. As wi h Janie‟s ma iage o Jody, on Janie‟s and
Tea Cake‟s wedding nigh , Janie and Tea Cake spend i in a cu ious
way— hey “ es ed ha nigh ” (Hu s on 112), Hu s on asse s,
hough he e had been “hugging and kissing and ca ying on”
(Hu s on 112) upon Janie‟s a i al in Jackson ille. The nex day
Janie and Tea Cake go ou sigh seeing. O cou se we can ead
be ween he syllables o ha es ing, o we know ha hey engaged
in sexual ela ions be o e hei ma iage (Hu s on 109), so na u ally
hose ela ions would con inue. None heless, i is wo hy o no e ha
no in e es in o sp ing de elops du ing he cou se o he no el o
any o he h ee husbands; hey li e in he he e and now, pe o ming
pe unc o y sexual du ies and sho ci cui ing any claims o
biological e ili y—e en hough hey migh be qui e e ile in wo king
he land, as Logan is, o conduc ing business, as wi h Jody, o e en
gambling, as wi h Tea Cake.
Janie, as no ed, is equally unin e es ed in babies, p egnancy,
and li ing legacy. She comes om a u al backg ound and wan s o
pa icipa e in ac i i ies, such as olk ale elling and sha ing lies, ha
she iden i ies as being olk and possibly a pa o he soil, ye she
emains, in he wo ds o Jean Toome in speaking o his cha ac e
Kabnis, his misplaced No he ne in sou he n e i o y, “suspended a
ew ee abo e he soil whose ouch would esu ec [he ],”
1
which
means ha she is in he a ious en i onmen s bu no uly o hem.
In o he wo ds, like Kabnis, Janie is physically, socially, and
psychologically ba en in he mids o e ili y. How, hen, do we as
eade s and schola s accoun o ha se o ci cums ances? In
sea ching o an explana ion, schola s poin ou inely o Hu s on‟s
supe imposi ion o he own biog aphy and desi es upon he
p o agonis o explain he physical ba enness. Wi hou child en
he sel , and wi hou he desi e o ha e hem o he ime o
inclina ion o nu u e hem, Hu s on declined o a ach
esponsibili ies o Janie ha she he sel would no accep —o so his
na a i e goes. The consequence is ha Janie is a hing ou o na u e,
1
Jean Toome . Cane. No on, l988, p. 98.
The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 175
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
a being an i he ical o he social ci cles, a ba en bligh upon he
landscape o e ili y wi h which she is su ounded in he no el. Wi h
all he schola ly alk o Janie sea ching o and inding he sel ,
aspi ing o eminis ideals (which I dispu e),
2
and a hos o o he
good hings, ew ha e paused o conside Janie as a dys unc ional,
unp oduc i e en i y, an obs uc ion in he en i onmen s in which
she li es. I is ha pe spec i e ha I wan o o e as a new app oach
o he no el.
Fe ili y has o do wi h g ow h and p oc ea ion, which Janie
esis s om he e y beginning o he na a i e. When Nanny
concludes ha Janie‟s kissing Johnny Taylo is an indica ion o he
eaching womanhood, Janie complains: “„Naw, Nanny, naw Ah ain‟
no eal „oman ye . ‟ The hough was oo new and hea y o Janie.
She ough i away” (Hu s on 12). The ac ha Nanny hen w aps
he six een-yea -old Janie in he a ms, hauls he on o he lap, and
ocks he (Hu s on 14), ei e a es he childish image y and he
igh ing agains g owing up. A e his pause, Janie pleads wi h
Nanny no o “make” he ma y Logan, and she wails: “„Lemme wai ,
Nanny, please, jus‟ a lil bi mo‟” (Hu s on 15). Age migh make he
plea unde s andable, excep o he knowledge ha Hu s on o e s i
agains he backd op o a ime when gi ls much younge han six een
o en we e ma ied o ou inely. We could a gue, he e o e, ha
Janie has al eady li ed a ca e ee li e beyond he ime ha he
cul u e and communi y wa an . The ac ha she igh s agains
mo ing in o he adi ions o ha cul u e and communi y posi ions
he ex , in his ins ance a leas , as a kind o an i-bildungs oman.
Janie also igh s agains womanhood du ing he ime she is
wi h Logan by p e e ing he dayd eams and oman ic no ions o a
child o an adolescen o he ealis ic du ies o a wi e. She judges
Logan ha shly because he does no i in o he childhood, s o ybook
d eams, and she is no emo ely in e es ed in he e ili y ha is
inhe en in his a ming. Seeds ha sp ou in o ege ables hold no
in e es o he a his poin in he no el. Manu e ha e ilizes he
seeds and ensu es ha e ili y only e okes disgus om Janie. By
emaining a doll baby in he wo ld o men and women, Janie ails o
g ow and assimila e in o he en i onmen . O cou se we could a gue
2
Please see my chap e , “Celeb a ing Bigamy and O he Ou law Beha io s: Hu s on,
Repu a ion, and he P oblems Inhe en in Labeling Janie a Feminis .” App oaches o
Teaching Hu s on’s Thei Eyes We e Wa ching God and O he Wo ks, edi ed by John W.
Lowe, MLA Publica ions, 2009, pp. 67-80.
176 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
easons o he ailu e; none heless, i is a ailu e. Logan is
consis en ly p oduc i e; Janie is consis en ly ejec ing o ha
p oduc i i y e en as she unde s ands i o be he sou ce o he
li elihood. Indeed, in a childish ou bu s wi h Nanny, she desc ibes
Logan as looking “like some ole skullhead in de g a e ya d” (Hu s on
13), a dea hly in e ile image ha sui s he way she hinks in he
disdain o all he g ow h wi h which Logan is su ounded. She also
childishly asse s ha “„Some olks ne e was mean o be lo ed and
he‟s one o „em‟” (Hu s on 22). This lack o gene osi y owa d
someone whose only c ime, so o speak, is lo ing he illus a es ye
again Janie‟s e usal o emb ace ma u i y.
In his analysis, I equa e Janie‟s e usal o g ow up, o
assimila e in o adul en i onmen s, he olun a y and o ced
posi ions as an ou side , as a pa o his in e ili y pa adigm. By
emaining ou side he bonds o ma iage in he ela ionship wi h
Logan, Janie is in e ile in an en i onmen ha h i es on e ili y. By
ejec ing Logan, she ejec s g ow h and any e sion o li e ha is
la ge han he imagina ion. By being unin e es ed in o incapable o
ha ing child en, she ejec s he s a us as woman and wi e, and she
ejec s any obliga ion o gene a ions ha ollow he . In o he wo ds,
Janie‟s in e ili y, as I label i he e, is basically a e usal o g ow up
and accep adul esponsibili ies. She expec s Logan o ake ca e o
he wi h li le ecogni ion ha she migh conside doing some hing
o him in e u n. Ce ainly she cooks and willingly does he
“woman‟s wo k” ha she iden i ies as he ole o esponsibili y in he
ma iage, and, in a a e e baliza ion, she is ocal in adhe ing o
socie ally de ined oles as well as in ejec ing any o he han a
compa men alized pa ne ship wi h Logan. No e his exchange wi h
Logan one mo ning a e he asks Janie o help him mo e a pile o
manu e be o e i ge s oo ho :
„You don‟ need mah help ou de e, Logan. Youse in yo‟ place
and Ah‟m in mine. ‟
„You ain‟ go no pa icula place. I ‟s whe e e Ah need yuh.
Gi uh mo e on yuh, and da quick. ‟
„Mah mamma didn‟ ell me Ah wuz bo n in no hu y. So
whu business Ah go ushin‟ now? Anyhow da ain‟ whu youse
mad abou . Youse mad „cause Ah don‟ all down and wash-up dese
six y ac es uh g ound yuh go . You ain‟ done me no a o by
ma yin‟ me. And i da ‟s wha you call yo‟sel doin‟, Ah don‟ hank
yuh o i . Youse mad „cause Ah‟m ellin‟ yuh whu you al eady
knowed. ‟ (Hu s on 30)
The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 177
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
This con e sa ion occu s he mo ning a e Janie has asked Logan
how he would espond i she we e o un o and lea e him, which
comes a e she has been seeing Jody o wo weeks. The
uncha ac e is ic alking, he e o e, has been p omp ed and
swee ened by Jody‟s p esence and Janie‟s knowledge ha she will
indeed be lea ing sho ly. The speech is childishly spi e ul, u e ed
by an imma u e pe son who has no lea ned he skill o ci il
disag eemen . As he speech indica es, howe e , du ing he ime
wi h Logan, Janie seems o ha e ul illed he household du ies—and
pe haps e en he conjugal du ies—g udgingly, wi hou o e all
commi men o he p ojec o g owing up and becoming a p oduc i e,
c ea i e, and ep oduc i e membe o he communi y and pa ne o
he husband. She seems o hink ha Logan—o someone—will ake
ca e o he no ma e he ung a e ulness o he ha shness o he
a i ude owa d hem.
This expec a ion ha someone will ake ca e o he con inues
wi h Jody S a ks, as Janie imbues him wi h he blossoming pea ee
image ha Logan has ailed o embody. No e how Janie, once she
a i es a he endez ous poin o un o wi h Jody, emb aces he
high chai image y ha will la e become so p ominen wi h Jody
e en as she assigns he bee image y o Jody:
He was e y solemn and helped he o he sea beside him [on he
hi ed ig]. Wi h him on i , i sa like some high, uling chai . F om
now on un il dea h she was going o ha e lowe dus and sp ing ime
sp inkled o e e e y hing. A bee o he bloom. He old hough s
we e going o come in handy now, bu new wo ds would ha e o be
made and said o i hem. (Hu s on 31)
No e as well his conscious e u ning o p e-Logan days as well as,
ea lie , he con inuing e usal o g ow up in he ini ial in e ac ions
wi h Jody. He iews he as a child o so s, which he ails o ealize
makes him a budding pedophile in his desi e o Janie. When he
lea ns ha Janie is ma ied and ha he husband has gone o e ch
a mule o he o help him wi h plowing, he esponds wi h inc eduli y
o bo h pieces o in o ma ion:
“You ma ied? You ain‟ ha dly old enough o be weaned. [. . . ] You
behind a plow! You ain‟ go no mo‟ business wid uh plow han uh
hog is go wid uh holiday! You ain‟ go no business cu in‟ up no
seed p‟ a e s nei he . A p e y doll-baby lak you is made o si on de
184 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
We migh expec ha he ela ionship wi h Tea Cake would
end Janie‟s in e ili y o medi a ions on ha heme in he no el. A e
all, Janie belie es she has inally go en he bee o he blossom.
Un o una ely, ha is no o be he case. The way in which he
na a i e ends—wi h he dea h o Tea Cake—is he ul ima e lack o
ul illmen . Conside a sequence o e en s ha is awash in i ony. I is
Janie‟s desi e o ge a piece o a p o co e Tea Cake while he sleeps
a e he hu icane ha leads o his ab up awakening and escuing
he om he abid dog, which bi es him on he cheek. The dog is
e ile wi h abies, which i ansmi s o Tea Cake. This pollu ed,
poisonous e ili y is one ha Tea Cake hen ans e s o Janie when
she shoo s him and he bi es he on he a m jus be o e he dies. So,
sadly, ins ead o gi ing Janie a baby, Tea Cake imp egna es he wi h
abies. In e ec , Janie is aped wi h a mos des uc i e kind o
e ili y. Ins ead o e ili y being ehabili a ed in he ex , hen, i
de ol es in o dea h and dying. And i leads o mo e ou side issues
o Janie.
The o me ly ai h ul neighbo s who ha e lo ed bo h Tea Cake
and Janie a e no con inced ini ially ha he shoo ing him has been
in sel -de ense. So hey ac ou wha Janie expe ienced in Ea on ille
when some o he neighbo s accused he o mis ea ing Jody a his
dea h, ha is, a delibe a e dis ancing o hemsel es, which is
mani es ed in he ial ha Janie mus unde go be o e she is
absol ed o a po en ial cha ge o mu de :
They we e all agains he , she could see. So many we e he e agains
he ha a ligh slap om each one o hem would ha e bea he o
dea h. She el hem pel ing he wi h di y hough s. They we e he e
wi h hei ongues cocked and loaded, he only eal weapon le o
weak olks. The only killing ool hey a e allowed o use in he
p esence o whi e olks. (Hu s on 176)
The “ ongues cocked” an icipa e Janie‟s e u n o Ea on ille, whe e,
as wi h his cu en si ua ion on he muck, she emains an ou side
as o me neighbo s a emp o kill he spi i wi h hei wo ds. Tea
Cake‟s iends on he muck h ow all o he hings in he ace ha
ha e p e iously sepa a ed Janie om he olks among whom she
esides—he skin colo , he inancial p i ilege, he di e ence
(howe e hey de ine ha concep ). They also belie e ha he whi es
who con ol he ial a o Janie o e he o he black olks who wan
o es i y abou Tea Cake and Janie. E en when hey e-ins a e

The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 185
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
Janie, so o speak, when hey dissol e hei bi e ness agains he
once hey wi ness he une al Janie plans o Tea Cake and once hey
ide om he muck o Palm Beach in he “ en sedans ha Janie had
hi ed” (Hu s on 180) o he une al, he e is s ill an uneasy
ela ionship be ween Janie and olks on he muck. She emains
he e only a ew mo e weeks be o e she e u ns o Ea on ille.
Wi h no child om Tea Cake o hold memo ies o he
deceased lo e o he li e, Janie s i es o mo e o wa d e en as
in e ili y con inues o su ound he . She does b ing a packe o
seeds om he muck wi h he o Ea on ille and p omises o plan
hem in memo y o Tea Cake, bu ha possible e ili y is no ealized
in he ex . And he memo ies ha she belie es will sus ain he will
pe haps lea e he in as a es ed a s a e o de elopmen as ha wi h
which she began he na a i e. She can su ely call he spi i o Tea
Cake in o he home and h i e on memo ies o him, bu hose
memo ies ha e no angible p oduc i e o ce in he li e. How long will
she be happy o be su ounded by ai ha she labels Tea Cake?
How long will i be be o e he consequences o being an ou side in
Ea on ille lead he o wande o e-e alua e? Gi en he Janie we
ha e seen h oughou he na a i e, howe e , i is possible ha she
will indeed be con en o wai , o wai wi h he memo ies un il she
dies. A e all, wai ing has been he chosen as well as he o ced lo
in li e. She wai ed o lo e Logan, bu she couldn‟ . She wai ed o
Jody o ealize ha s i ing a e hings pu hei ma iage “in uh
kinda s ain” (Hu s on 43), bu he didn‟ . She wai ed o Tea Cake o
ge be e , bu he couldn‟ . She wai ed o he medicine o a i e om
Miami, bu i didn‟ come in ime o help Tea Cake, and i was
doub ul ha i could ha e anyway. So Janie will indeed p obably
con inue o wai , con en , pe haps e en wi hou knowing ha she is
so, o be jus as in e ile a he end o he no el as she was a he
beginning.
Pe haps mos i onic o all, howe e , is ha Hu s on
unde cu s he own cha ac e by sho -ci cui ing he na a ion and
he eby o bidding he he deli e y o he own s o y. Is his he
ul ima e in e ili y? Janie e u ns o Ea on ille p egnan wi h he
u ge o na a e—a leas o he iend Pheoby. She begins ha
na a ion well enough, bu , a i s -pe son na a i e quickly gi es way
o hi d pe son limi ed and omniscien poin s o iew. Such
pe spec i es as he ollowing w i e o e Janie‟s oice: “Long be o e
he yea was up, Janie no iced ha he husband had s opped alking
in hymes o he ” (Hu s on 25). O he s me ely make Janie disappea .
186 T udie Ha is
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
Janie can ela e he in e ac ions wi h Nanny, bu she lacks he
abili y o see wha Nanny is doing once she lea es he ; his sho
omniscien passage illus a es he poin : “Nanny sen Janie along
wi h a s e n mien, bu she dwindled all he es o he day as she
wo ked” (Hu s on 23). Also, she canno be inside Logan‟s head and
egis e ing he discom o Logan eels when Janie asks wha he
would do i she we e o lea e, bu ha is p ecisely wha he na a i e
does, as in his passage: “He lopped o e esen ul in his agony and
p e ended sleep. He hoped ha he had hu he as she had hu
him” (Hu s on 29). No is Janie in a posi ion o ela e how Tea Cake,
as soon as Janie lea es o ge he doc o a e symp oms o his abies
mani es , ge s up, sc ubs he wa e bucke , e ills i , and despe a ely
ies o d ink wa e a e his in ec ion has in ensi ied:
As soon as she was well ou o sigh , Tea Cake go up and dumped
he wa e bucke and washed i clean. Then he s uggled o he
i iga ion pump and illed i again. He was no accusing Janie o
malice and design. He was accusing he o ca elessness. She ough
o ealize ha wa e bucke s needed washing like e e y hing else. [. .
. ] He eased he bucke on he able and sa down o es be o e
aking a d ink.
Finally he dipped up a d ink. I was so good and cool! [. . . ]
The demon was he e be o e him, s angling, killing him quickly. I
was a g ea elie o expel he wa e om his mou h. He sp awled on
he bed again and lay he e shi e ing un il Janie and he doc o
a i ed. (Hu s on 166-167)
These a e bu a iny numbe o he many ins ances in which Janie is
pushed o he side o disappea s comple ely om he so-called i s -
pe son na a i e. Hu s on‟s au ho ial in usion makes clea ha
Janie‟s oice has li e ally been w i en o e . Jus as Jody de e mined
ha i was necessa y o “somebody” o hink “ o women and chillun
and chickens and cows” (Hu s on 67), so Hu s on hinks—and
w i es/na a es— o Janie. Hu s on inally did no us Janie any
mo e han Jody o Tea Cake did nea he ends o hei li es.
Al hough he na a i e e u ns o Janie‟s oice wi h Janie and
Pheoby a he end, when Pheoby decla es ha she has g own en ee
by lis ening o Janie, he e is li le e idence in he no el ha Janie
con ibu es di ec ly, e bally, o ha g ow h; i is simply Hu s on as
au ho aking o e . Ins ead o gi ing bi h o a heal hy na a i e o
he li e, Janie me ely a ends he bi hing, se ing as a me e
bys ande o e ili y a he han being he sole cause o i . We migh
The Limi s o Lo emaking and Communi y… 187
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos 21 (2017), Se ille, Spain. ISSN 1133-309-X. pp. 169-187
conclude, he e o e, ha he blossoming pea ee image y was
was ed on Janie C aw o d Killicks S a ks Woods, o she could ne e
b ing o ui ion in he own li e and li e s o y wha ha sexuali y and
e ili y mean .
WORKS CITED
HARRIS, T udie . “Celeb a ing Bigamy and O he Ou law Beha io s:
Hu s on, Repu a ion, and he P oblems Inhe en in Labeling Janie a
Feminis .” App oaches o Teaching Hu s on’s Thei Eyes We e
Wa ching God and O he Wo ks, edi ed by John W. Lowe, MLA,
2009, pp. 67-80.
HURSTON, Zo a Neale. Thei Eyes We e Wa ching God. Pe ennial, 1990.
MORRISON, Toni. Ta Baby. Knop , 1981.
TOOMER, Jean. Cane. No on, 1988.