Their Eyes Were Watching God

Janie and Tea Cake were still down on the muck when the Seminoles and the Bahamians headed east despite the fact that the picking season was not complete. Both groups warned Janie and Tea Cake that a hurricane was coming; Tea Cake discounted their warnings, but even the animals began to flee.

Many of Tea Cake’s friends gathered at his house to weather the storm, but when the winds came in, they grew fearful and realized staying behind had been a mistake. Tea Cake and Janie fled the house along with a friend when the winds grew stronger and it became apparent that the dikes and dam works that held back the Okeechobee would break. They barely survived their flight to higher ground; the friend who accompanied them, Motorboat, stayed behind, too tired to keep running. During their flight, Tea Cake killed an aggressive dog that tried to attack Janie. The dog bit Tea Cake on the face. The couple reached Palm Beach, where they spent most of their money to secure a tiny sleeping space. They reaffirmed their love for each other.