The limits of lovemaking and community: infertility in "Their eyes were watching God"

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.