After Joe's death Janie no longer gave away her power to others, she knew what she wanted and was going to be very cautious about who she let into her life. The townspeople were eager to criticize Janie for her limited period of grief and mourning. While Janie was struggling to stabilize her life and ensuring that her physiological and safety needs were met, she was protective of her heart and limiting her love needs. In limiting her needs for love and affection, she gave herself love and affection -- she was addressing her need for self-esteem.
Janie's feeling and actions align with Marslow's Theory of Human Motivation. In his journal article, Maslow discusses degrees of relative satisfaction; he states that a need not be 100% satisfied before a person can move on to satisfy their next level of needs. He believed that individuals work to reduce their dissatisfaction at each level and that when the individual is comfortable that the needs are partially met, they can then move on a higher level of needs. Janie's inheritance and growing self-confidence provides her with partially met physiological and safety needs, thereby providing the foundation for addressing higher level needs.
Several months after Joe's death, Janie meets Vergible Tea Cake Woods. They flirt and court one another. Tea Cake is not interested in possessing or controlling Janie, he just wants her companionship. From the beginning, Tea Cake encouraged Janie to grow. On their first encounter he teaches her to play checkers. Janie was glowing "Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play" (Hurston, 1937, Location 1721-29). Janie was attracted to Tea Cake because of his willingness to teach her checkers and to not attempt to deny her an opportunity to grow.
Janie hesitated to fall for Tea Cake. She feared she was too old for him, that his intentions were not in her best interest and that he was interested in her inheritance. Janie consulted a trusted friend who told her that Tea Cake was a person to avoid. Janie even tried to control her own thoughts of Tea Cake. Eventually, she gave herself permission to have feelings for Tea Cake. She thought that Tea Cake "looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom -- a pear tree blossom in the spring" (Huston, 1937, Location 1875-82). Janie's years of being stifled and possessed by a man had come to an end, she was retuning to the Janie she was at sixteen -- contemplating what would make her happy.
These thought and behaviors were moving Janie through the esteem level of Marslow's hierarchy and she was beginning to address self-actualization. When Pheoby spoke to Janie, she tried to convince Janie would be better off with the undertaker in Sanford. Janie told Pheoby that "Jody classed me off. Ah didn't. Naw, Pheoby, Tea Cake ain't draggin' me off nowhere Ah don't want tuh go. Ah always did want tuh git round uh whole heap, but Jody wouldn't 'low me tuh" (Hurston, 1937, Location1959-67).
Janie was beginning to believe in her ability to make her own decisions and ignored the gossip and advice from the townspeople. She refused to conform to cultural belief of marrying a man for money and property at any cost. She told Pheoby that she and Tea Cake were planning to get married and she planned to sell the store. Pheoby questioned why she wanted to sell the store and Janie replied:
"Cause Tea Cake ain't no Jody Starks, and if he tried tuh be, it would be uh complete flommuck. But de minute Ah marries 'im everybody is gointuh be makin' comparisons. Wo us is goin' off somewhere and start all over in Tea Cake's way. Dis ain't no business proposition, and no race after property and titles. Dis is uh love game. Ah done lived Grandma's way, no Ah means tuh live mine" (Hurston, 1937, Location 1983 -- 99).
Both Tea Cake and Janie were search for self-actualization. They both ventured out into the unknown; together they moved to the Everglades...
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