Since centuries, people have used last names to describe and distinguish themselves. They can be anything from their place of birth to their occupation. Zora Neale-Hurston, the novelist, experiments by using name significance in order to characterize characters. Janie mae Crawford, who is the protagonist in the novel, experiences three marriages. Logan Killicks Jody “Tea Cake Woods” and Vergible Tea Cake Woods all have names that are significant and reflect the personalities of their husbands. Hurston uses this form of unique characterization to compare Janie’s ideals and values with the names of her husbands.
Hurston uses the names of Janie Crawford to highlight their conflicting personalities. Janie Crawford is sixteen when Nanny, Janie’s grandma, forces her to marry Logan Killicks. Nanny wants Janie to be safe, so she is willing to marry her to a rich man. Nanny, however, ignores all of her feelings. Janie, a woman who believed “husbands always love their wives”, is unable to love Logan. She describes him as “some old skullhead in the graveyard”. She quickly concludes “some folks were never meant to be loved and he is one of them”. Logan and Janie seem to be polar opposing personalities. Logan wants to work and get through each day, while Janie is trying to find her voice and connect with nature. He tries harder and harder to domesticate Janie’s wild spirit as their marriage develops. Logan Killicks reflects this misunderstanding and all the other differences in his name. Log killer is a name that can be easily derivated. Janie is a nature lover and wants to “be…any tree in blossom”. This creates a conflict for her. Logan, who is an antagonist to nature and a log-killer in essence, serves as Janie’s foil and threatens both her happiness and wellbeing. Hurston’s choice of Logan Killicks reveals Logan’s mean personality and strengthens Janie.
Soon after Janie meets a new man, Jody Starks. Jody rushes in to marry Janie, promising her that he would treat her better then her previous husband. She didn’t realize that this new relationship was going to be more damaging than the last. Jody is a narcissist. His upbringing was similar to that of Janie in the sense that he was raised around whites. Jody’s upbringing has made him wealthier than most African Americans. He was proud of his superiority and wanted Janie’s standards to match up. Jody did not want Janie talking to such trashy black men. He wanted her submissive to do as he said. To hide her beauty and to avoid other men’s attention, he asked her to not show her hair.
Jody, Janie Starks’ second husband, at first embodied some of Janie’s values, but he eventually rejected them. Janie Starks is the second husband of Janie, who initially embodies some of Janie’s beliefs. However, he soon rejects them. As Jody ascends to the position of mayor in Eatonville, his whimsical and capricious ideas soon vanish. Instead, they are replaced by oppression, envy, and dominance. In analyzing the name of his son, it’s clear that stark is a clue. Stark describes a marriage that lacks passion and is filled with domestic problems. Janie verbally attacks Jody and unleashes her repressed anger when she visits him. She focuses on his stubbornness and says that Jodie is “nothin’ but a dead man” – referring to Jodie’s emotional rigidity. Jodie is said to have “cut his breath” and “left his hands in an agonizing pose of protest”, depicting a physical “rigidity”. Hurston uses the adjective stark because of its rich connotations to strengthen Janie by contrast her personality with Jody’s.
Janie finds the perfect match with Vergible “Tea Cake”, a youngster whose name reflects his values. Teacake is unlike any other resident of Eatonville. Teacake is adventurous, eccentric and unique. Janie and Tea Cake instantly form a deep, unique relationship. She says that after their first meeting, it was “as if she had known him her whole life”. Tea Cake also loves nature. They move together to Everglades in a region where the “ground is so fertile that everything grows wild”. As they settle down, Janie begins to experience “a self – crushing love”. Her “soul clings out” from its hiding location. Hurston’s name-meanings are a great example. Vergible Tea Cake Woods is easily translated as virgin woods. Janie is passionate about trees and the natural world, so virgin woods fits with her passion. The alias he uses, “Tea Cake,” also reflects the romantic aspect of his personality. He is “as scrumptious as all dat Tea Cake”. Logan Killicks, Jody Starks, and Vergible “Tea Cake”, Woods are names that reflect the differences between them and Janie. However Vergible’s name highlights their similarities.
Zora N. Hurston uses name meaning to give her characters a unique voice in Their Eyes Watched God. By using this technique, Hurston is able portray the ideals and values of Janie Mae Crawford as well as her husband. Logan Killicks Jody starks and Tea Cake Wood have profound meanings. Hurston incorporates them into the novel in a way that is unique and profound.
