An interesting question. All of the characters in Zora
Neale Hurston's novel suffer from some kind of restriction of their vision. It is Janie,
at the novel's end who seems to come closest to 'seeing clearly'--only after her
experiencing through three different marriages and surviving both the hurricane and a
rabid Tea Cake.
We see many other characters, however, who
display great vision in certain arenas of life only to suffer from a lack of vision in
other areas of their life. Take, for instance, Joe Starks. Almost single-handedly, Joe
leads the townspeople of Eatonville in creating a growing, bustling metropolis. He
suffers, however, from his complete inability to credit or empower anyone else in his
quest, including Janie. Even, Tea Cake--meant to represent a kind of romantic
hero--suffers from his inability to escape the stereotypes society had placed in his
mind regarding class, wealth, and love. His ability to 'see clearly' and 'see the truth'
are limited as well.
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