After Tea Cake and Janie ran away from the hurricane, Tea Cake started to get really sick. The doctor told Janie that the rabid dog that bit him caused it. The mad dog had almost attacked Janie, but Tea Cake saved her at the cost of a bite. They did not think anything of it at the time. Tea Cake started to go crazy and think paranoid things about Janie and Mrs. Turner’s brother. Janie knew that his disease was deteriorating him. Janie says, “That big old dawg with the hatred in his eyes had killed her after all. She wished she had slipped off that cow-tail and drowned then and there and been done. But to kill her through Tea Cake was too much to bear. Tea Cake, the song of Evening Sun, had to die for loving her.” (pg 208) She knew that he was going to die. The doctor told her that it was too late for Tea Cake. Janie had found a loaded pistol under the pillow. She grew scared of the mad dog inside of Tea Cake. Janie hides a rifle in the kitchen in case Tea Cake’s mad dog decides to use the pistol. Later, they were arguing and he pulled his gun on her. She grabbed the rifle and shot him right before he shot her. Tea Cake died after biting her arm. Janie sat and held her husband’s head to her chest.
That same day she was put on trial for the murder of Tea Cake. During the whole trial, Zora Neale Hurston never quotes Janie on anything. Janie keeps quiet until she is brought to the stand. All of her old friends had turned on her and thought she had killed him out of malice. The only person speaking in her defense is the doctor.
Janie doesn’t really care if she goes to jail or not, or if the jury finds her guilty or innocent. The only thing she is afraid of is a misunderstanding. She wants them to know how much she loved Tea Cake, and not trying to make up excuses to stay out of jail.
When Tea Cake died, Janie died as well. When she shot Tea Cake, she was protecting herself, but also putting Tea Cake out of his misery. Janie does not speak much at the trial except when she takes the stand and explains to everyone how much she loved him, and how the mad dog inside of him wouldn’t leave without him dying, and he couldn’t live without the mad dog. The jury found her innocent and she was free. Janie had a glorious funeral for her love, and invited all of the people who had turned on her to it. Janie knows that Tea Cake is waiting for her, and she buried him with a guitar so he could play her songs when she got to heaven too.
The Bell Jar
3 comments:
This is a very thorough synopsis of the last bits of the book. You explain well the things that lead up to the trial scene but i think that you should have touched more on why it was that Janie did not speak at the trial. I said that it was because she now has her voice and she needs to master it to find the right times to speak. However, in class the comment was added that she had nothing more to say. Her journey had been fulfilled and in my opinion, all her words were in gratitude and grief, not defense.
Wow! your blog is so indepthed! You did a great job of explaining all of the necessary things that happened in the story. I also agree with Ashley though you could have commented a little bit more on the whole trial and why Janie didn't talk. I also said that she didn't talk because she had already found her voice and didn't have anything else to say. All in all great job though!
Erica your post is very well written, so i'd like to congratulate you on that. You did a good job of explaining the details that led up to the trial. I agree with you on the part that she had already found her voice, this meaning that she didnt need to speak during the trial. Niceee JOB!
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