Journal #10: Themes

Theme: In the human experience, one will tend to change the way they act or they will change decisions in order to get what they desire.

"You sho loves to tell me whut to do, but Ah can't tell you nothin' Ah see!" (Hurston, 71)
Janie finally talks back to Joe because she wants to feel like she means something, rather than hiding her feelings, like she normally does.

"Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation." (Hurston, 75)
Here, Janie decides to actually speak up and say something to the people sitting on the porch.  This is something that she has never done before, and she had always wanted to talk on the porch.  It says that she thrust herself into the conversation, this is diction and it portrays this theme because Hurston uses thrusting in order to show that she did something that was not normal for her to do.

"Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it." (Hurston, 113)
In this situation, Janie branches out and wears cloths that she never had done when she was married to Joe because he wouldn't let her.  And now that she wants to be with Tea Cake, she is changing her ways so she finally do what she wants to.

"He was glad of the chance because he hadn't had his hand on a box since he put his in the pawn shop to get some money to hire a car for Janie soon after he met her.  He missed his music.  So that put him in the notion he ought to have on.  He bought the guitar on the spot and paid fifteen dollars cash." (Hurston, 123)
Tea Cake had a flashback to when he had a guitar and played music with it.  This relates to the theme because he wanted to play guitar again, so he spent money for himself, which he usually spends on for Janie's needs.  He has a change in his decision when he remembers the time he played the box, and how much fun he had.