Journal #8

Hurston uses the setting of the hurricane to develop the theme that when love overcomes challenges, it grows stronger. During the course of the book up to this point Jaine has been in search of true love, the reader is given hints that she has found it in Tea Cake but the events during the hurricane prove it beyond doubt. It is unclear if Jaine has been aware of how much she loves and trusts Tea Cake but her words to him during the storm are clear, "We been tuhgether round two years. If your can see the light at daybreak you can die at dusk. It's so many people never seen de light at all"(159). Janie tells Tea Cake that there is no place she would rather be than by his side even if that means she might die in a hurricane. This kind of pure unconditional love in the face of death itself reveals the true strength of Tea Cake and Janie's relationship. Tea Cake keeps trying to apologize for not seeing the storm but Janie refuses to blame him for what he did not know. Tea Cake even shows surprise at the deepness of Janie's love for him and this fact seems to push him harder to get out of the storm. With these words to each other their love becomes stronger that ever before and helps them escape the hurricane.