2. Conflict
• The struggle within the plot between opposing forces-
the issue to be resolved in a story.
• The protagonist engages in the conflict with the
antagonist, which may take the form of a character,
society, nature, or an aspect of the protagonist's
personality.
• Conflict may be external, a struggle against some
outside force, another character, society as a whole, or
some natural force; or internal, a conflict between
forces or emotions within one character.
3. Chapter 7
• Quote: "T'aint no use in getting all mad, Janie, 'cause Ah mention
you aint no young gal no more'. Nobody in heah ain't lookin' for no
wife outa yuh. Old as you is." (pg. 79)
• Commentary: In chapter 7 the main conflict was the argument
between Joe and Janie and the way Joe would always put her
down because of her age.
4. Chapter 8
• Quote: " All dis tearin' down talk! Jody whispered with sweat
globules forming all over his face and arms. "git outa heah!
• Commentary: The main conflict in chapter 8 was that Joe, Janie
husband was about to pass away and she was thinking back in
how her and her husband had a bad relationship toward the end
and she actually didn't feel any pity until he died.
5. Chapter 9
• Quote: "You want to be Keerful 'bout who you marry, Mis' Starks.
Dese strange men runnin' heah trying tuh take advantage of yo'
condition."
• Commentary: Chapter 9 conflict is that Janie finally is an
independent and wealthy women and most men in town want to
marry her for that reason. Most men just want to be with her
because of all the property and money she has.
6. Chapter 10
• Quote: "Maybe this strange man was up to something! But it was
no place to show her fear there in the darkness between the house
and the store."
• Commentary: The conflict of chapter 10 was that Janie meet this
man and was attractive to him but didn't really trust him and didn't
know what to expect from him and she was kind of scared of him
but she knew she couldn't show him that side of her.
7. Chapter 11
• Quote: "No'm. And nobody wouldn't marry Tea Cake tuh starve tuh
death lessen it's somebody jes lak him- ain't used to nothin'.
'Sourse he always keep hisself in changin' clothes. Dat long-legged
Tea Cake ain't got doodly squat. He ain't got no business makin'
hisself familiar wid nobody lak you..."
-Hezekiah
• Commentary: The main conflict in this chapter is money. Tea Cake
is new to town and shows interest in Janie. He doesn't have the
kind of money Jody had. When Janie starts to show interest in Tea
Cake, the town people start to worry about her. Janie doesn't want
the town people to know so she keeps it a secret.
8. Chapter 12
• Quote: "Ah done lived Grandma's way, now Ah means
tuh live mine."
-Janie
• Commentary: The main problem in this chapter is the
perception that money will make you happy. All Nanny
wanted for Janie was the "better" life but it didn't suit
Janie. When she was young she had a dream that
marriage should be based on love and that money
shouldn't be a priority. Nanny's idea on marriage cause
Janie to be unhappy for most of her life so the way the
main character here faces this problem is simply by
9. Chapter 13
• Quote: "That was whens he found out her two hundred
dollars was gone."
• Commentary: Janie had been warned that Tea Cake
was only after her money. When she woke up one
morning with her money missing. She didn't want to
think the worst and feared the town people were right.
She started to think of Mrs. Taylor and how her situation
turned out. Janie's problem in this story was Tea Cake.
He left with her money and didn't come back for a long
time.
10. Chapter 14
• Quote: "Tea Cake, you'se uh mess! Can't do 'thout me
dat lil time."
-Janie
• Commentary: I this chapter, Tea Cake and Janie are
living in the Everglades. Tea Cake has a job but starts to
leave work to visit Janie. He couldn't stand being away
from her for a long time. This was the biggest issue they
had in the chapter. Janie decides to fix this problem buy
going out to work with Tea Cake.
11. Connection
"Explanation of how this literary element connects to the
theme of the story."
• The main conflict in this novel is Janie's struggle to form her identity but
finds it hard because she is constantly being molded to someone the
authoritative people in her life demand out of her thereby giving up her
desires and aspirations in order to confirm to other people's notion of how
they think she ought to be. This is especially evident when Jody silences her
in front of the town people. Later on though she gains the courage to defend
herself and talk back to the cruel teasing Jody finally owning up to true self
identity.
• Themes are usually conveyed through characters and the conflicts they
encounter/overcome so in order to understand the theme, the reader must
also analyze the experiences the character had.
