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Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

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Student Question

Does Janie have rabies after Tea Cake bites her in the final chapters of the book?

Quick answer:

Janie does not contract rabies after Tea Cake bites her. There is no evidence in the story to suggest she is infected. Instead, she returns home because she does not want to stay in the Everglades without him. The final chapter reveals Janie's contentment and moral superiority, completing the narrative arc and explaining her decisions.

Expert Answers

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Janie does not get rabies, there is no evidence of that in the story.  She returns home because she did not want to remain in the Everglades without him. 

In the last chapter, "the flashback is completed, and the reader now sees why Janie is content to live and why she is the moral superior to the people of Eatonville."

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