her desires, the ones that first sprouted as she lay under the pear tree watching it blossom before she kissed Johnny Taylor. Janie runs away with Joe, and they settle in Eatonville, an all-black town in Florida, where Joe becomes mayor. As the wife of the mayor, Janie is placed on a pedestal and expected to behave in a very specific way. Joe does not allow her to interact with the townsfolk or to take part in their fun-loving conversations on the porches of Eatonville. He makes her tie her hair up in a scarf because he is jealous that another man may see Janie and desire her. The unhappy marriage eventually ends when Joe dies. Janie has learned through this relationship that she never wants to be owned by a man again. She is looking forward to her independence.

After Joe's death, Janie begins interacting with a younger man named Tea Cake. He impresses her with his playfulness and devotion. They play checkers and laugh and talk. Eventually, they fall in love, and they decide to marry and go to the Everglades together to work the muck. While there, a hurricane hits, and a rabid dog bites Tea Cake as he tries to save Janie. He goes mad and threatens to kill Janie, and she is forced to shoot him. From her relationship with Tea Cake, though it has a tragic end, Janie has learned that love is important in her life but that she must be treated as an equal. Though her marriage to Tea Cake is her best, Tea Cake does err a couple of times in significant ways: he runs off with her money once when they are still in Eatonville, and he beats her in the Everglades because he is jealous and concerned she was flirting with another man or that another man has eyes for her. Despite their problems, Janie and Tea Cake have an easygoing relationship that both enjoy without, generally speaking, making the other feel subservient. Even though the end of their relationship is tragic, Janie knows she has experienced real love and desire in her life, and she is content to live on her own and seek companionship in her friend Pheoby.