The community members in Their Eyes Were Watching God all have positive reactions to Tea cake’s abuse of Janie. Upon learning of the abuse she has gone through, the town is in awe: either jealous that they do not have a man to beat them, or that they do not have a wife who will take a beating. There is no hint of concern for Janie amongst any of the people. Janie’s lack of self-defense is seen as a sign of devotion to Tea cake. Her bruises and marks are seen as symbols of love, and the townspeople even claim to wish for a love as strong as theirs.
This reaction of utter support and acceptance was perplexing to read, and honestly shocking. There was virtually no backlash against Tea cake. He received no consequence for his actions, but instead, he received admiration. Abuse is normalized in their community, and the entire incident was simply brushed off. It was a huge contrast to today’s society where domestic violence is seen as an awful crime. As Mr. Mitchell pointed out, the community may not even know the term “domestic abuse.”
After our discussion in class, I thought a lot about how I felt about this part of the book. Hurston provides no resistance to the concept of normalized domestic abuse, and I thought about the angles mentioned in class such as the cultural/generational differences, or that “it was an act of love.” I have to conclude is that these are not valid arguments, and that abuse is never acceptable in any context. There is always another solution, and if Tea cake really wanted to protect Janie and show his love for her, he would not have hurt her. He could have talked it out, shown public affection for her, there were so many other options. If anything, I stand by the comment Mr. Mitchell made in class: why didn’t Tea cake lash out at the Turners instead?
I completely agree. I think it is possible to condemn something while still acknowledging its normalcy in the circumstances or culture from which it arose. I think there is definitely room to discuss gender dynamics of the time as well as desensitization to violence, however, Tea Cake obviously has the choice to handle the situation differently, and instead chooses to disregard his wife's well-being in order to make a point.
ReplyDeleteI agree. While it was more socially acceptable at the time, domestic violence has a destructive impact regardless of time period. As a reader, we might be inclined to forgive Tea Cake because everyone else seems to forgive/support him for it and it seems to be pretty normal, we should still hold him accountable.
ReplyDeleteCalling it an act of love is disgusting and a horrible misrepresentation of what abuse actually is. I totally agree that abuse is never justifiable and he absolutely should have faced repercussions. Maybe in some twisted way Hurston was trying to say that he did when she killed him, but in the context of the book I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you put this and I agree. One thing I think is interesting is how abuse is seen in the context of relationships. Janie's second relationship was idealized in a way because he would never hit her. As their relationship progressed however, he got increasingly aggressive towards her. With Teacake, a similar thing happened, though this incident appeared to be "one-off" rather than a continual thing. In neither of these situations was anyone particularly fazed by it, nor was it a marker of the end of a relationship.
ReplyDeleteYou make so many good points here. Domestic abuse is never acceptable in any context and I definitely agree that Teacake should be condemned more for his behavior—he could've proved his love for Janie in so many other, less harmful ways. I understand that this behavior was normalized in gender/relationship dynamics at the time, but why did Hurston choose to portray this abuse in a positive light?
ReplyDeleteI love the points you made here. I really wished Tea Cake was the one for her until the domestic abuse happened. He had so much potential to break Janie's cycle of abusive relationships. Although abuse and beating wives was normalized, it doesn't make it okay. I think Hurston decided to write Tea Cake this way to emphasize Janie's unfortunate history with partners. Just when you think Tea Cake will be the one, he hits her...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in that the public abuse of Janie was perplexing. Like you said, the reaction was pretty much the inverse of what one would expect today, which is part of what made the section so jarring, paired with the uncomfortable nature of domestic abuse itself. The idea of this abuse being "an act of love" is completely ridiculous, and the question of why Tea Cake directed this attack towards Janie and not the Turners is a good one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your blog. Tea Cake's acts of violence from a rational perspective are horrible, and what makes this scene hard to comprehend is society's seemingly appreciative tone after he hits her. While Tea Cake (and others) see his actions as a sign of his love, domestic abuse is the opposite, and should be seen as such. Good blog'
ReplyDeleteI agree that abuse is never okay and should never be done. I think that the reaction of the community shows how different the early twentieth-century was compared to now. I think that it's unfortunate that Tea Cake abuses Janie because he and Janie could have been an example to the community of what a relationship is without abuse. Ultimately, I think the community was proud this happened because they were jealous of what Janie and Tea Cake had.
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