Tea Cake invites Janie to play checkers when they first meet, making Janie feel equal in power to a man she is interested in for the first time in her life. The game of checkers symbolizes the way in which Tea Cake establishes a new romantic dynamic with Janie that allows her to find a voice, feel empowered and reach the horizon – it is a relationship that is completely different from that which she shared with her previous husbands. The game of checkers places Janie in an equal position to her lover, and symbolizes Tea Cake's fun-loving, playful worldview that excites and enlivens Janie's life. However, in checkers, as Janie herself notes, there is potential for cheating, showing the dangerous side of such a fun-loving approach to life, that ultimately brings upon Tea Cake's death in his decision to remain in the muck during the hurricane.
Checkers Quotes in Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Their Eyes Were Watching God quotes below all refer to the symbol of Checkers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play. That was even nice. She looked him over and got little thrills from every one of his good points.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Checkers Symbol Timeline in Their Eyes Were Watching God
The timeline below shows where the symbol Checkers appears in Their Eyes Were Watching God. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
...flirt for a few minutes until the man asks Janie to play a game of checkers. After the game, Janie and the man continue to flirt and decide to play another...
(full context)
