How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #21
[Lias]: "De Indians gahn east, man. It’s dangerous."
[Tea Cake]: "Dey don’t always know. Indians don’t know much uh nothin’, tuh tell de truth. Else dey’d own dis country still. De white folks ain’t gone
Another blatant example of perceived intelligence being based on a racial hierarchy. Here, Tea Cake thinks that the Native Americans don’t know anything, and the white people are the smartest. It’s strange that he seems to be very matter of fact in the way he essentially implies that white people are smarter than black people; that’s why Tea Cake is waiting to see what the white people do about the hurricane.
Quote #22
It woke up old Okechobee and the monster began to rollin his bed. Began to roll and complain like a peevish world on a grumble. The folks in the quarters and the people in the big houses further around the shore heard the big lake and wondered. The people felt uncomfortable but safe because there were the seawalls to chain the senseless monster in his bed. The folks let the people do the thinking. If the castles thought themselves secure, the cabins needn’t worry. Their decision was already made as always. Chink up your cracks, shiver in your wet beds and wait on the mercy on Lord. The bossman might have the thing stopped before morning anyway. (18.27)
The black folks of the Everglades, including Tea Cake and Janie, trust passively to the judgment of the white people – whom they think know better than them. Because the white men causally and arrogantly choose to stay, disregarding all of mother nature’s warnings, the black workers stay as well. They all suffer the consequences when the hurricane shows up howling on their doorstep.
Quote #23
While Tea Cake was standing and looking he saw two men coming towards him with rifles on their shoulders. Two white men, so he thought about what Janie had gold him and flexed his knees to run. But in a moment he saw that wouldn’t do him any good. They had already seen him and they were too close to miss him if they shot. Maybe they would pass on by. Maybe when they saw he had money they would realize he was not a tramp.
"Hello, there, Jim," the tallest one called out. "We been lookin’ fuh you."
"Mah name ain’t no Jim," Tea Cake said watchfully. "Whut you been lookin’ fuh me fuh? Ah ain’t done nothin’."
"Dat’s whut we want yuh fuh – not doin’ nothin’. Come on less go bury some uh dese heah dead folks. Dey ain’t gittin’ buried fast enough." (19.16-19)
The white guys in this scene clearly think all black men are the same and don’t care to see any differences between them, whether they be their names, wealth, or intentions.
Quote #24
Miserable, sullen men, black and white under guard had to keep on searching for bodies and digging graves. A huge ditch was dug across the white cemetery and a big ditch was opened across the black graveyard. Plenty quick-lime on hand to throw over the bodies as soon as they were received. They had already been unburied too long. The men were making every effort to get them covered up as quickly as possible. But the guards stopped them. They had received orders to be carried out.
"Hey, dere, y’all! Don’t dump dem bodies in de hole lak dat! Ezamine every last one of ‘em and find out if they’s white or black."
"Us got tuh handle ‘em slow lak dat? God have mussy! In de condition they’s in got tuh examine ‘em? Whut difference do it make ‘bout de color? Dey all needs buryin’ in uh hurry."
"Got orders from headquarters. They makin’ coffins fuh all de white folks. ‘Tain’t nothin’ but cheap pine, but dat’s better’n nothin’. Don’t dump no white folks in de hole jus’ so."
"Whut tuh do ‘bout de colored folks? Got boxes fuh dem too?"
"Nope. They cain’t find enough of ‘em tuh go ‘round. Jus’ sprinkle plenty quick-lime over ‘em and cover ‘em up." (19.24-29)
This is an example of blatant racism. The white dead are good enough to receive coffins while the black dead must be buried without such dignity, simply because of the color of their skin. Even in death, white people continue to disrespect and desecrate the black people.
Quote #25
[Tea Cake]: "It’s bad bein’ strange n*****s wid white folks. Everybody is against yuh."
"Dat sho is de truth. De ones de white man know is nice colored folks. De ones he don’t know is bad n*****s."(19.40-41)
In the setting of the novel, the worth of black people is defined by their relationship with white people. Thus, those black people that are well-known and attested for by white people are considered harmless by society, while those unknown to any whites are immediately suspect. This is a guilty-until-proven-innocent kind of situation.
Quote #26
And twelve more white men had stopped whatever they were doing to listen and pass on what happened between Janie and Tea Cake Woods, and as to whether things were done right or not. That was funny too. Twelve strange men who didn’t know a thing about people like Tea Cake and her were going to sit on the thing. Eight or ten white women had come to look at her too. They wore good clothes and had the pinky color that comes of good food. They were nobody’s poor white folks. What need had they to leave their richness to come look on Janie in her overalls? But they didn’t seem too mad, Janie thought. It would be nice if she could make them know how it was instead of those menfolks. (19.155)
Interestingly, while Janie feels alienated from the twelve white men on jury, she feels an immediate connection to the white women in the audience. Janie’s sense of attachment to them is so strong that she wants to tell them her story instead of the jury. In this instance, being of the same gender seems to be a more important bond than being of the same race.
Quote #27
Then she saw all of the colored people standing up in the back of the courtroom. Packed tight like a case of celery, only much darker than that. They were all against her, she could see. So many were there against her that a light slap from each one of them would have beat her to death. She felt them pelting her with dirty thoughts. 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.
[…]
"Mistah Prescott, Ah got somethin’ tuh say," Sop-de-Bottom spoke out anonymously form the anonymous herd.
The courtroom swung round on itself to look.
"If you know what’s good for you, you better shut your mouth up until somebody calls you," Mr. Prescott told him coldly.
"Yassuh, Mr. Prescott."
"We are handling this case. Another word out of you, out of any of you n*****s back there, and I’ll bind you over to the big court."
"Yassuh." (19.156-166)
The entire black community of the Everglades turns out in force to speak against Janie. Because they are a race compromised in their relationship to white people, the black community has nothing to attack Janie with but their tongues. But in actuality, the black people in the courthouse can’t even rely on their voices to be heard anymore. When they try to speak out against Janie, the white court silences them. In the end, even the black people’s tongues, which they wanted to use as weapons, are neutralized by the white men.
Quote #28
"Aw you know dem white mens wuzn’t gointuh do nothin’ tuh no woman dat look lak her." […]
"Yeah, de n***** women kin kill up all de mens dey wants tuh, but you bet’ not kill one uh dem. De white folks will sho hang yuh if yuh do."
"Well, you know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh n***** woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as dey please." (19.178-181)
According to the black men who are speaking, white men and black women are held to a different standard than other subgroups. White men – by virtue of their being part of the dominant race and sex – can impose themselves on others and thus do whatever they want. Black women, on the other hand, enjoy neither the pleasure of being in the dominant race or sex, but by virtue of their weakness in both, seem to receive an inordinate amount of mercy from their oppressors. Do you think that the speakers in the above quote are right, or are they just bitter?