A Singular and Peculiar Relationship
...Cake brings happiness, but it also limits her independent thinking skills. Tea Cake’s flattery of Janie entices her to submit unconsciously and lose her own opinions. When Janie decides to leave for Jacksonville, she exclaims to her friend Phoeby, “Wait till you see de new blue satin Tea Cake done picked out for me tuh stand up wid him in. High heel slippers, necklace, earrings, everything he wants tuh see me in” (109-110). She selects the satin that Tea Cake “picked out”, because she enjoys his attention and wants to look beautiful in his eyes (109-110). She obsesses herself with his opinions and praises. Janie’s choice of Tea Cake’s “high heel slippers, necklace, earrings” over men’s overalls shows that she is losing her will to choose for herself (109-110). These women clothing represent her status as her society’s typical women. With women’s clothing, she does not make the choices of men. Unlike her previous dominations, she can choose but she doesn’t want to. Wanting joy and fulfillment, Janie strives to be Tea Cake’s woman, and her volition consequently becomes the object of his indirect dominations. Her desires to obey Tea Cake, contribute to her loss of the ability to think independently and judge perceptively. Already submissive to his flattery, she is open for a stronger type of domination by his actions. Janie, unwilling to live in insecurity, loses her self-reliance and relies solely on Tea Cake for protection. Amidst their deep love, Tea Cake frequently leaves Janie unexpectedly, causing her to doubt his fidelity. These feelings of doubt “was a new sensation for her, but no less excruciating” (103). This “sensation” is “excruciating”, leaving Janie in a state of painful anxiety for his return. Living in insecurity, Janie can only escape from this “excruciating” feeling “if only Tea Cake could make her certain” by returning (103, 103). Needing a cure of her insecurity, Janie becomes more dependent on the love and comfort of Tea Cake’s. She is no longer a self-reliant woman but one who needs his presence to survive. Her capabilities and resources alone is not enough to guarantee her happiness. Whenever she is not with Tea Cake, Janie anxiously question his whereabouts. As Tea Cake symbolically becomes a savior to Janie, he imposes a greater domination upon Janie’s life. Being satisfied with Tea Cake, Janie also loses the part of her that questions and criticizes. The joys of their true love also initiate Janie’s loss of distinction between her inner and outer self. In the beginning of their courtship, Janie tries to defend her inner soul from Tea Cake’s alluring love. She decides “to treat him so cold if he ever did foot” her house (96). But this was an inner thought as Janie’s outer expression towards Tea Cake remains friendly and courteous. But as Tea Cake provides Janie with more comfort and love, and respects her assertive personality, her inner self becomes more like her outer self. Through this “self-crushing love”, Janie’s “soul crawled out from its hiding place” (122). This love is “self-crushing” because through this, Janie’s questioning, inner self disappears (122). She no longer “[hide]” her inner feelings of her “soul” from Tea Cake so she expresses them through her outer self freely and habitually. Her love connects her inner and outer soul as her inner passions naturally come out through her physical self. This loss of her inner soul has a negative effect on her as she loses the side of her that criticizes. Acquiescing physical abuse at the hands of Tea Cake, her relationship reaches its climax where Janie has no inner self, forcing her to no longer think independently. As a sign to show Janie’s love towards Tea Cake, Janie allows him to beat her physically in front of their community. Tea Cake says, “Ah jus’ let her see dat Ah got control” (141)....