Plot
The name of Janie's second husband
Who is Joe Starks?
This woman marries three times in the novel: once to Logan Killicks, once to Joe Starks, and finally to Tea Cake.
Who is Janie?
This is a symbol of confinement, enforced upon Janie by Joe.
What is the head wrap?
"It was the time for sitting on porches. ... It was the time to hear things and talk."
The location Janie and Tea Cake travelled to after leaving Eatonville.
What is Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades, or "The Muck"
This man buys Matt Bonner's mule.
Who is Joe Starks?
This represents equality in romantic relationships. Janie only experiences this with Tea Cake.
What is Checkers?
"She had been whipped like a cur dog"
What is simile?
This is Janie's act of freedom after the death of Joe Starks.
What is burning the head wrap?
Before passing away, this woman urged Janie to marry for financial security.
Who is Nanny (Crawford)/Janie's grandmother?
This symbol represents Janie's hopes and dreams of acquiring true love. It is first referenced after Janie kisses Johnny Taylor as a young girl.
What is the Pear Tree?
"The sun was gone but he had left his footprints in the sky."
What is personification?
According to Nanny, this is when Janie first becomes a woman
What is kissing Johnny Taylor?
This woman shows racial prejudice hen she admires Janie's Caucasian features. She cannot understand why a woman like Janie would marry a man as dark as Tea Cake.
Who is Mrs. Turner?
This symbolizes the senselessness of nature and its ultimate disregard for human needs. It occurs during the chapter where we first see the title of the novel mentioned.
What is the hurricane?
"They became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths."
What is hyperbole?
The instrument Tea Cake is playing during his second meeting with Janie.
What is an invisible guitar?
The entire novel is the narration of Janie’s life story as told to this person.
Who is Pheoby Watson?
This symbolizes victimization and occurs three different times throughout the novel.
What are mules?
"These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless..."
What is Parallelism?