Journal #8: Setting that develops a theme

After the dramatic hurricane struck, Janie expresses her gratitude to Tea Cake for helping her establish who she is as an individual. "Once upon uh time, Ah never 'spected nothin', Tea Cake, but bein' dead from the standin' still and tryin' tuh laugh. But you come 'long and made somethin' outa me" (Hurston, 167). Hurston uses setting to help establish the theme of how going through tough times helps Janie realize how much she appreciates the people that helped her become the person she is today. Tea Cake allowed Janie to have more freedom than she did with Joe. This has helped Janie realize that she should not have to hold her thoughts and opinions to herself. When the hurricane that strikes threatens both of their lives, she realizes how devastated she would be if she lost Tea Cake. Hurston uses the setting in this sense to emphasize the potential danger the characters could face and how if something happened to Tea Cake, Janie would have lost a part of her that helped shaped the person she is currently. Because this situation is happening in this setting, it forces the reader to emotionally attach him or herself and realize how difficult it would be to lose someone that moulded the personality and independence that makes up one's identity. Through this occurrence in the setting, Janie grasps how quickly the people she appreciates most can be taken from her and makes it clear that she is who she is because of Tea Cake.