How Children Grow and Develop During Early Childhood

1. How does Jamie Crawford grow in self- esteem after her relationship with Tea Cake? 

The book, Their Eyes were Watching God , by Zora Hurston narrates the life of Janie Crawford from early childhood to adulthood and the transformation she had during her life time. Janie’s childhood and early adulthood life was characterized with submissiveness, dullness and, a lack of self-confidence. She was depressed as a young girl due to the fact that she was raised in an uncharacteristic manner. Her mother had neglected her during her childhood and left the burden of raising her to her grandmother. She was not raised in a good manner owing to the poverty that she experienced during her childhood. Her upbringing affected her confidence and stifled her childhood dreams. She was later to be married off to an old farmer who treated her indecently making her life even more miserable and subdued. However, when she meets Jord Sparks, she is immediately attracted to his smooth tongue and promise of a better life for her. She elopes and marries him. Even though Jordy later becomes successful in life as a great politician his promise of offering her a voice soon dissipates due to the monotony of life she experiences. Jordy wants her to live a life which he has shaped for her. He expects her to live as a submissive wife a famous politician and regards her as part of his wealth. This is a dull life which does not interest Janie and does not offer much promise to the fulfilment of her dreams. 

However, she experiences freedom and confidence for the first time when she meets Tea Cake after the death of Jordy. Her search for her own identity and spiritual enlightenment is made stronger. Tea Cake provides Janie with a secure sense of independence due to his attractive nature and sharp wit. She develops an attraction to him because of the way he teaches her to reclaim her identity. She is able to reclaim her own voice by using both language and silence to assert her power. Tea Cake is the individual who teaches her the maiden language of independence, assertiveness, and self-confidence. She develops in her control and command of speech. She is able to use speech and silence to her own advantage and also to assert her authority and power. She now knows that silence does not necessarily mean weakness or passivity. It can be used as a tool to achieve own goals and objectives. 

She uses the power of silence and its control during her trial in her testimony in the murder trial. She chooses to ignore the maturity of her voice in the trial but uses silence for maximum effect. Despite her voice being strong and mature, she had developed the confidence to know when to use it and when not to. Her maturity, confidence, and independence can be attributed to the influence of Tea Cake on her life. She came to the realization that rhetoric without sake was not as effective as silence with a purpose. She did not want to be confused with the rhetoric associated with lawyers and politicians. The idea can be proved by the words, “there are years that ask questions and years that answers.” It means that there is time to talk. 

The fact that she was able to use her language effectively demonstrates that the development of her mature voice could not be separated from her inner growth. She was as strong inwardly as she was on the outside. Tea Cake had an influence on her inner strength which made it possible for her to develop her outward strength. Her command of language and speech is demonstrated when she talks to her friend Pheoby about the importance of silence. She says that it “don’t amount tuh uh hill uh beans” when it does not serve any purpose (Hurston, 1937). The statement shows her level of maturity and she has matured from the lonely, shy, and submissive girl into a mature and assertive lady. She is now able to stand her own ground and express her own self in a powerful and eloquent manner. She is now a woman who has found her independence and identity. 

How did Tea Cake contribute to define her? 

Tea Cake made a significant contribution in defining Janie by teaching her how to discover herself and preserve her identity and self-worth. For instance, he taught her how to shoot a gun to protect herself. His love for her made him teach her things that she had never experienced before. He taught her new life experiences and creative ways of discovering the world around her. His playfulness and curiosity helped to develop her inner strength which led to a rapid growth in her personality. She was able to experience the true taste of freedom which made her resolve to protect her new found identity. Tea Cake acted as driving forces that catapulted Janie to rediscover herself. Even though he was not wholly responsible for her full development, he nonetheless, made a significant contribution to her life. 

It is to be noted that before she knew him she had already started the journey of rediscovering herself. The attestation of this fact is demonstrated when she stands her own ground when her former husband, Jordy Sparks, tries to demean her. A this point in time she did not have a full command of her language and she did not understand the power of silence. She engaged her husband in a tirade of words to the point of insulting him. She even called him weak and impotent. However, she discovered the power of silence later in her life, a fact that is demonstrated where she was standing trail for the murder of Tea Cake. The author shows how he viewed the witnesses in the case by saying that “they were there with their tongues cocked and loaded, the only real weapon left to weak folks. The only killing tool they are allowed to use in the presence of white folks.” (Hurston, 1937) It shows that the author regarded silence in such a situation a tool to be used by the powerful. The scene demonstrates that even though she was trying to assert herself, she was not in full control. Despite being in the process of discovering herself, she did not feel as free as when she met Tea Cake. He helped her to see life in a different perspective. His influence on her life made her to be self-dependent as seen in her strength even after Tea Cake dies. It demonstrates that Janie she could finally stand on her own two feet without being dependent on Tea Cake. 

The fact that she is now independent shows how important Tea Cake’s teachings influenced her life. It is through the influence and teachings of Tea Cake that Janie developed her spirituality. The love they had for each other was basis in which her growth and development was founded. Tea Cake was not only interesting but also curious, a personality trait that led to her own personal development. He was responsible, not in stifling her personality but, encouraging it by providing new skills and experiences in her life. His love for her can be stated with words like “Love is like the sea. It's a moving thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from the shore it meets, and it's different with every shore.” However, Janie was not totally dependent on Tea Cake. Her independence is demonstrated when she shoots Tea Cake to protect herself and her independence. It is, therefore, true to say that Tea cake played a major role in the development of Janie’s personal development and sense of identity. He acted not only as her lover, spiritual mentor, and companion, but also a teacher who taught her how to stand up for herself. He taught her how to see the world in a new light by introducing new experiences and skills into her life. He gave her the strength and courage to face difficulties with confidence and authority. Tea Cake’s contributions to Janie’s life helped to defined who she turned out to become. 

Reference 

Hurston, Z. (1937 ). Their Eyes were Watching God . J.B. Lippincott.