Symbol Evaluation | By Amber

          1) “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time. That is the life of men” (1).
          This passage is a great symbolism of Janie’s life. Her dreams came true later on, but they were fulfilled, they were not “mocked to death by time” (1). This passage symbolizes that some people do not go and live their dreams; time creeps up and destroys them. Janie realized time could take away her dreams, she had given up on her dreams with Landon, but along came Jody and a new hope came. With Jody her dreams and desires were once again put to the side. Then came Tea Cake, he was able to make her dreams come true, her biggest of all; he showed her true love could be possible they were a living exampl. He made her dreams come true, and by this she was satisfied.
          2) “Janie saw her life like a great tree in a leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches” (10).
          This passage is a great symbolism to the whole book. The novel reveals sufferings that Janie experiences. She had to go through her whole life without knowing her parents, she was bitter with her grandmother, she was pushed into a marriage and promised she’d find love which did not come, she married Jody and suffered from his tight rein on her, not allowing her to do harmless things she desired, and then greatest of all was Tea Cake’s death. But with Tea Cake she experienced true joy and love, she was truly happy with Tea Cake, he treated her right. She was able to do things she dreamed of that had not been done. The tree symbolized her life.
          3) “Phoeby Watson didn’t go in by the front gate and down the palm walk to the front door. She walked around the fence corner and went in the intimate gate with her heaping plate of mulatto rice. Janie must be around the side” (5).
          This passage symbolizes Janie and Pheoby Watson’s friendship. She didn’t bother going through the front door, she helped herself around that back knowing Janie well enough to know that is where she would be found. This shows their friendship is deep. Throughout the novel Janie would go visit Pheoby about problems with Jody, and then Pheoby went to visit Janie when people noticed Janie was showing interest in Tea Cake. Here they are at the “end” of Janie’s journey with Tea Cake and Janie tells Pheoby her story, Pheoby gladly offers her time and listens.
          4) “Thought Ah’d try git heah soon enough tuh tell yuh mah daytime thoughts. Ah see yuh needs tuh know mah daytime feelings. Ah can’t sense yuh intuh it at night” (126-127)
          Tea Cake told Janie his feelings, Janie’s reaction was that he must not be thinking right because it was night, he told her it was not so, but she was not persuaded, then he left. She thought he was gone for good. But the next day in the afternoon he showed up on her doorstep. This action, and those words (quote above) were a symbol of true love. He was ready to stick with her for life. Which he did until his death. Shortly after their marriage Janie found her money gone, along with Tea Cake. But he came back, and he earned her money back and never asked for any of hers. He had fun with her and she was his pride and joy. He treated her the way she should be treated, he even saved her life, and this action later took his. Janie told Pheoby “Tea Cake ain’t wasted up no money of mine, and he ain’t left me for no young gal, neither. He give me every consolation in de world. He’d tell ‘em so too, if he was here. If he wasn’t gone” (8). The words and actions of Tea Cake coming back symbolized his true love toward her, after Janie accepted him his love it was expressed though out the whole rest of the book, and this true love was Janie’s dream.
          5) “Then Tea Cake came prancing around her where she was and the song of the sigh flew out of the window and lit in the top of the pine trees. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light like a great fish-net.”
          Tea Cake’s actions and words were a great symbol of his love. These words symbolize how deep Janie’s love for Tea Cake was as well. He would never be truly dead until she herself was. She had found her dream, she had experienced love and she would always remember it.