Dec 18 2008
Their Eyes: chapter 17
At the time that this book was written it was not unusual for a husband to beat his wife to show power. A wife was just something that men seemed to have so that they could have control over something. I was very surprised when in the beginning of chapter 17 Tea Cake depicted this kind of husband, because I thought that he had different beliefs.
“Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beatnig at all. He just slapper her around a bit to show he was boss. It aroused a sort of envy in both men and women.” (145)
The fact that Tea Cake is about twelve years younger than Janie makes it even harder for me to believe that she would allow this sort of behavior from him. I would have thought that she learned she needs to be the one in control with her relationships. With Joe he had all the power, and we all saw how that turned out. It seems almost pathetic for her to cling onto Tea Cake; I would have expected her to hit him back but she took the whippings instead. She is probably afraid that if she tries to fight back he will leave her, and everyone will say “I told you so.”
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