Theme

- a person should not care how they appeared to others because you know who you are and despite how you look on the outside you know who you are on the inside

Ex. Janie dresses like a young lady with her hair waving in the wind despite everybody else around her that has their hair in a bun and wears long dresses

•The women that sat on the porch talked about her as she walked by, saying that tea cake probably took all her money and left her after she was broke, but phoebe was sitting there listening and always took up for her no matter how it was going to make phoebe look

“ What she doin’ coming back here in dem overhalls?Can’t she find no dress to put on?" (Hurston 2)

"A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yo’self and eat p’taters dat other folks plant just special for you" (Hurston 34)

"All the men that she could get, and fooling with somebody like Tea Cake! Another thing, Joe Starks hadn’t been dead but nine months and here she goes sashaying off to a picnic in pink linen. Done quit attending church, like she used to. Gone off to Sanford in a car with Tea Cake and her all dressed in blue! It was a shame. Done took to high heel slippers and a ten dollar hat! Looking like some young girl, always in blue because Tea Cake told her to wear it." (Hurston 130)

Charactization

Janie (main character) is a woman who got kicked out of her grandmas and was forced to marry a man she didn't like. After a while of being held down she was tired and decided to run away and let her hair down and be independent and defy the social and gender class she was in.

"Gal, you sho looks good. You looks like youse yo’ own daughter." They both laughed. "Even wid dem overhalls on, you shows yo’ womanhood" (Hurston 5)

"Her speech was pleasant enough, but she keptwalking straight on to her gate. The porch couldn’t talk for looking." (Hurston 2)

Logan (her 1st husband) was an old man who nanny gave Janie o after she kissed a boy he was a man who was just about business. He was Janie's husband but he only treated her like a brother and a farm worker instead of a husband because he was to old and crippled to get around and do anything

"He look like some ole skullhead in de grave yard." (Hurston 16)

“’Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection. (Hurston 18)

Symbol

Pear tree- in this book represents the sense of possibility in life for a connection between you and nature, the world, and other people,also the feelings of sexual desire and love.

Janie sits under the tree wishing to get away from the life she has right now because she feels trapped, she wants to be loved and be herself.

"Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think." (Hurston 29)