Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide. Chapters 1-4

Transcription

1 Ms. Kizlyk English 3B Chapter 1 Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide Chapters The main character of the novel is Janie Mae Crawford; what is her situation at the beginning of the novel? 2. Janie notes that as she returns to her home town, the women are watching her in judgment. What are some of the things that these women are saying? How are they judging Janie? 3. Why are the women annoyed at Janie, and who defends her? 4. What does Janie explain about Tea Cake and why she is back in town? 5. What general information do we learn in the first chapter?

2 6. What impression to you have of Janie and her situation so far? Chapter 2 1. How does Janie describe her childhood? How did she first discover that she was black? 2. Why did other children tease Janie, and what was the outcome? 3. On p. 10, during a spring afternoon in West Florida, Janie had spent most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the backyard. How does she describe this experience? Any ideas what this might symbolize? 4. Why do you think that the author reminds the readers that Janie is only sixteen during this time?

3 5. What prompts Nanny to talk to Janie about marriage? 6. Why does Nanny want Janie to marry Logan Killicks and how does Nanny explain this to Janie? 7. What were some of the hardships that Nanny went through in her younger years? Chapter 3 1. What was Janie's idea of love before she was married? What does this tell us about Janie? 2. After three months of married life, Janie visits Nanny. Why is Janie upset? 3. Why does Nanny seem annoyed at Janie during their conversation?

4 4. How does Janie respond when Nanny brings up the fact that Logan has land? 5. How does chapter 3 end? Chapter 4 1. How did Janies's and Logan's relationship change? 2. Describe Joe Starks. What are his plans for himself? 3. What sorts of things does Joe tell Janie to tempt her to leave Logan and marry him?

5 4. How does Logan react when Janie mentions that she might leave him? How does he act the next morning? 5. Why do you think Janie makes the decision to leave Logan and marry Joe? How has her mother and grandmother s past experiences helped to shape her decision? Chapter 5 Chapters What do Joe (Jody) and Janie think of Eatonville when they enter the town? 2. Who is Captain Eaton, and what does Joe want from him? How do the townspeople feel about this? 3. Describe the party that Joe hosts when his store is finished.

6 4. What happens when the townspeople ask Janie to make a speech at the party? 5. How does Janie react to this? 6. Why does Joe want Janie to run the store? How does Janie react? 7. How does Joe make a huge production out of the streetlight that he bought? 8. Describe Joe and Janie s conversation that evening. Describe Janie s feelings after this conversation. 9. How did Joe's position affect Janie's relationship with other town residents? Also, find supporting evidence in the text to show that the townspeople were jealous of Janie and Joe.

7 10. How do the townspeople seem to view Joe? Find supporting evidence in the text to back up your answers. 11. How would you describe Joe as a husband and Janie s second marriage so far? Chapter 6 1. What were some of Janie s frustrations with working at the store? 2. Why did Joe force Janie to wear her hair tied up? 3. What happens when Matt s mule escapes? What is Janie s reaction?

8 4. Why does Joe decide to buy the mule? How do people react to Joe s purchase? 5. The mule ends up dying. A) How does Joe react to the mule s death? B) Why won t Joe let Janie attend the funeral? C) What are Janie and Joe s feelings regarding this? 6. Author Zora Neale Hurston humorously establishes a picture of the Eatonville community in this chapter by including folkloric elements. She paints a vivid picture of the porch-sitters and brings them to life through their stories. She cleverly tells about Matt's mule and the men showing off for Daisy. How are men characterized in these two examples?

9 7. When Janie is watching and enjoying the antics of Sam, Lige, and the other porch-sitters, how does Joe react when he notices her? 8. What happened to Joe and Janie's relationship during the seventh year of their marriage? 9. Why does Joe slap Janie one night? What does Janie realize after this episode? 10. What was Janie's comment to the men during their conversation about Mrs. Robbins and her begging for food? Chapter 7 Chapters Janie cuts a plug of tobacco incorrectly at the store one day, and this starts a fight between her and Joe. A) What was the real reason behind the fight?

10 B) How does Janie react during the argument that shocks the others in the store? C) Why does Joe hit Janie? Chapter 8 1. How did Joe and Janie act towards each other following their fight in the store? 2. How did the people visiting Joe treat Janie? 3. Janie visits Joe before his death. A) Explain Joe s condition when Janie visits him. B) What happens during this visit?

11 C) Janie s first act of liberation after Jody s death is to release her hair from the shackles of the head-rag. Why does she do this and why do you think she ties her hair back up? Chapter 9 1. What was the only change that people saw in Janie after Joe's funeral? 2. How does Janie feel about her mother and grandmother at this point in the novel? 3. What is Janie s attitude towards her great many suitors? 4. What does Pheoby tell Janie when they visit? What did Phoeby and the other townspeople think Janie should do?

12 5. What does Janie tell Pheoby about mourning and grief? What does this show about Janie? Chapter How did Janie meet Tea Cake? 2. Describe Tea Cake. 3. How long does Tea Cake stay with Janie that day? Chapter What were the main concerns that Janie had about getting into a relationship with Tea Cake?

13 2. Describe what happens a week later when Tea Cake shows up. 3. The evening when Tea Cake brings fish for Janie to fry, how does she try to tell him of her concerns? How does he react? 4. Why did Tea Cake visit Janie early one morning? 5. What did Tea Cake do that proved his serious intentions toward Janie? 6. Why does Janie again doubt Tea Cake?

14 Chapters Chapter How does everyone react to the new relationship between Janie and Teacake? 2. Pheoby and Sam Watson are afraid that Janie will turn out like Mrs. Tyler, an old widow who was cheated by a younger man, so Pheoby goes to talk to Janie. A) How does Janie defend her relationship with Tea Cake? B) What future plans does Janie tell Pheoby that she and Tea Cake have? C) How have we seen Janie grow and change with this new relationship? How is this relationship different than hers with Joe?

15 Chapter Summarize Janie and Tea Cake's wedding. 2. Why did Janie decide to bring $200 with her but hide it from Tea Cake? 3. Things change after one week of marriage. A) What did Janie discover one morning about a week after she was married? B) How does Tea Cake explain what happened? C) How does Janie react to Tea Cake s explanation?

16 D) How does Tea Cake promise to make things right? E) Does Tea Cake s plan work out? 4. What agreement do Janie and Tea Cake make about money? 5. How does Janie seem to feel about Tea Cake after these recent events? Why? Chapter Janie and Tea Cake move to the Everglades. A) What is Janie s impression of the Everglades? B) How is their life at the beginning of the chapter?

17 C) What is the atmosphere like when the other workers arrive? D) What does Janie think of the migrant workers and the evenings that they share with her and Tea Cake? 2. Why did Janie start going out to pick beans? 3. Was Janie resentful about having to do manual labor? Why or why not? Chapter Janie learns about jealousy in this chapter. A) What does Janie notice about Nunkie s behavior? B) How does Tea Cake seem to respond?

18 C) What happened one day when Tea Cake and Nunkie disappeared? D) How does Tea Cake reassure Janie of the situation? Chapters Chapters Describe Mrs. Turner and her attitude about Negroes. 2. What did Mrs. Turner propose to Janie, and why? 3. How does Tea Cake react when he overhears Janie s conversation with Mrs. Turner?

19 4. How does Tea Cake feel after Meeting Mr. Turner? 5. How does Mrs. Turner react to Janie when Janie tries to treat her coldly? 6. Mrs. Taylor didn t cling to Janie Woods the woman. She paid homage to Janie s Caucasian characteristics (145). Describe what this means and why Mrs. Taylor likes being around Janie so much. Chapter Mrs. Turner introduces her brother to Janie and Tea Cake, Tea Cake whips Janie. A) Why does he do this? B) How did the men react to Tea Cake's treatment of Janie?

20 C) How does Tea Cake explain his relationship with Janie to the other men? D) Why do you think that Janie tolerated Tea Cake s whipping of her when she Joe had also abused her physically? 2. An incident occurs in Mrs. Turner s restaurant. A) Describe the incident in Mrs. Turner's restaurant. B) What happened to Mrs. Turner? C) What was Mrs. Turner's reaction to the incident? D) How do the men try to make amends for the incident?

21 Chapter Why has Janie stopped working in the fields with Tea Cake? 2. What caused the Seminoles, and then the animals, to move eastward? 3. Why did some of the people, including Tea Cake and Janie, remain in their houses on the muck? 4. What was Janie's response when Tea Cake asked Janie if she wished she had stayed in her big house, away from dangers such as the hurricane? 5. Describe what was happening when the author used the sentence: "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God" on p What happens after Tea Cake looks out and sees destruction and rising water?

22 7. What happens when the dike breaks? 8. Describe what happens after Tea Cake and Janie leave Motor Boat behind. What things do they see? 9. Describe the incident with the cow and the dog. 10. Janie and Tea Cake finally reach Palm Beach. A) What condition are Janie and Tea Cake in? How does Janie describe this? B) What is the scene around them? C) How does Janie respond when Tea Cake questions whether Janie should have ever come with him?

23 Chapters Chapter How is prejudice shown when Tea Cake is forced to help bury the dead? 2. Why do Janie and Tea Cake return to the muck? 3. What do Janie and Tea Cake discover about their friends when they return to the Everglades? 4. What is Tea Cake s health and symptoms like four weeks after their return? 5. What did the doctor tell Janie when he came to see Tea Cake? 6. After the doctor left, Janie looks up at the sky. What is she thinking?

24 7. Tea Cake s health deteriorates as he suffers. A) Why does Tea Cake believe he is suffering from this illness? B) What does he accuse Janie of? C) What did Janie find under Tea Cake's pillow and why was she frightened? D) What did Janie do about this the next day? E) Describe what happened when Tea Cake came back into the house. F) Describe Janie and Tea Cake's last moments together.

25 7. Janie is put on trial the same day. A) What does Janie notice about the black people at the trial? B) How did Dr. Simmons testify? C) How does Janie explain what it was like to testify in court? D) What does Janie say in her defense? E) Describe the funeral that Janie prepared for Tea Cake. Chapter What did Tea Cake s friends do to help them ease their pain over his passing?

26 2. What did Janie bring back to Eatonville? Why? 3. After finishing telling Pheoby her story, how does Janie seem to feel about being back in Eatonville? 4. How does the book end, and how does Janie seem to view what has happened and her outlook on life?