Journal 5

Janie's motivation throughout chapters 11 and 12 is to become who she truly is. Without Jody to be there and impose his will on her, Janie becomes more like her true self. With the arrival of Tea Cake, she has been able to come out of her box and be herself whithout being controlled like she was under Jody. Tea Cake allows for Janie to be herself and have fun, unlike Jody or Logan, who felt like they needed to control her and give her work to distract her from being herself. Tea Cake, in Janie's eyes, resembled what love truly was, and on page 106, she says, "He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom - a pear tree blossom in the spring." What she means by this is that he is meant for her. Her symbol throughout the book has been the pear tree, and Tea Cake, symbolized by the bee, is trulyright for her style of life.