Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters 13-16
Teacake invites Janie to Jacksonville, where he has a job working with the railroads. Janie leaves Eatonville early in the morning and is married to Teacake before the sun has set. He takes her to the room where he had been living for the past two weeks, and they spend a blissful time in their marital bond. Teacake bears all of the expenditure, but Janie keeps two hundred dollars on her person, in secret, on the advice of her friend Phoeby. She doesn’t tell Teacake about the money, but one morning she wakes to find the money gone. Teacake had gone out earlier that morning with the claim that he was going out to get a fish for the breakfast, but he doesn’t return all day or in the night. Janie finds herself thinking of an old widow from Eatonville, who had been swindled by a young man of all her money so that she was reduced to begging in the streets.
These dark thoughts stay with Janie all night, but she can’t help but pray to God to return Teacake to her. She confesses that she has been alone for too long, and cannot return to that life. Teacake comes in just as the sun rises, carrying a new guitar. He reassures Janie about his feelings for her and promises her that he has never felt anything similar for another woman. He explains that he had found the money on the way out of the room, and since he had never before had such a great amount of money, he wanted to know how the rich people live. He had bought his friends, the railway workers, a feast, and they had danced the night away. He had spent all but 12 dollars of Janie’s money, however, he was resolved to return it to her by the end of the week given his considerable skill as a gambler. Janie didn’t care about the money, but she was angry that he had not chosen to include her in the merrymaking. Teacake confesses that he had wished to bring her along, but had prevented himself for he felt that the railway workers would be too mean a crowd for Janie. She tells him that she has no such prejudice and wishes to be included in all things that Teacake likes to do.
Teacake wins back more money than he had spent but returns home injured. One of the men had jumped him with a razor when Teacake had refused to continue playing. Janie cleans up his wounds with tears in her eyes, and she also tells him about her savings. Teacake tells her to put away all of her money in the bank since he didn’t need anyone's help in providing for his woman. They then set out to go out to the Everglades, that Teacake calls the muck. Teacake and Jane are among the first to arrive, as a large number of people come to the Everglades every season, and do so in so many numbers that there isn’t room enough for all of them to sleep. Teacake plants beans during the days and gambles at night. He also takes to teach her how to shoot, and Janie eventually becomes even better than Teacake himself. They go out hunting alligators, rabbits, and all other kinds of game. Janie cooks up a storm every day while Teacake is away working in the fields, but then Teacake begins to miss her during the day as well. Janie takes up a job in the fields to be around him more, and this causes the others in the muck to see her in a better light. Before, they had thought that she was too spoiled and prudish to work in the fields. Teacake wasn’t quite as successful at gambling as before, since the muck has quite a few other good gamblers besides him.
Janie learned what it meant to be jealous for the first time, as one of the women on the fields took to teasing and playing with Teacake. Janie understood that the girl was trying to get Teacake on her own, and she could not help but feel angry. A seed of doubt began to grow in her when the other workers of the field began to take notice. Then one day, Janie found Teacake and the girl wrestling one another deep in the fields of cane. Teacake explained that he was only trying to retrieve the tickets the girl had taken from his work clothes, while Janie tries to chase after the girl. She returns home fuming, and Teacake follows her there. Janie tries to hit Teacake and accuses him of cheating, while he tries to keep her from hurting him and disputes the accusation. Their fighting soon changes to lovemaking, and Tea Cake reassures Janie that he would never be interested in being with anyone other than Janie.
The both of them resolve to remain on the muck for another season, so they continue to inhabit their shack as the workers begin to leave. They become involved with the local community, and Janie attracts the attention of Mrs. Turner. She is the husband of a restaurant owner and has a seeming hate for the part of her that is black. She sees the white features of Janie and respects her above all others. Mrs. Turner speaks ill of the black people and tries to arrange a meeting between Janie and her brother, for she has a deep dislike for people as dark as Teacake. Janie’s coffee complexion and her straight hair make Turner treat her almost like a goddess. After one such conversation with Mrs. Turner, Janie returns to another part of her house and finds Teacake simmering in anger. Teacake tells Janie to stay away from Mrs. Turner, but no matter how rude Janie tries to be, Mrs. Turner never seems to understand. Janie thinks that Mrs. Turner believes that it is only right for Janie to be mean to her as she is mean to the other black people, given that Janie most distinctly has white features and so outranks her in some twisted racial hierarchy. Soon the season for planting returns, and the seasonal workers being to trickle in again.
Analysis
Janie's departure from Eatonville leads her to immerse herself more deeply in black culture, which is also represented in the dark black soil of the everglades. In these later chapters, the reader can begin to note some concerning aspects of Teacake and Janie's relationship. The first of these instances occur about a week after their marriage, as Teacake leaves Janie alone for a whole day and night without cause. Instead of being with her, he takes her money and spends lavishly on his friends, and then later leaves her to worry again as he goes out gambling in an attempt to win back some of the money that he had spent.
Teacake's influence on Janie becomes apparent when he manages to get Janie to begin work voluntarily, something Logan and Jody both failed to do. It is unclear whether Teacake's motivations are as straightforward as he claims them to be, however, neither the narrator nor Janie ever question his behavior. It is interesting to observe that Teacake and Janie's relationship is marked by Teacake's long and often unexplained absences. Janie attempts to bring herself closer to him every time such an absence occurs, she doesn't get upset when he spends her money, or when he leaves her worried to death as he goes out gambling. A counterview would be that these instances simply indicate Teacake's wild personality and are not a means for him to control or manipulate Janie. Irrespective of his intentions, Teacake is never threatened by Janie, and he instead actively works to empower her. He takes her out into nature for hunting, fishing, and even teaches her how to shoot, which can all be labeled as rather masculine activities during that time. He doesn't grow insecure like Jody when Janie proves to be more proficient with a gun and instead encourages her to continue practicing.
