I agree with you Dani in the idea that the hurricane that occurred towards the end of the novel has numerous symbolic aspects. I really liked the idea about it representing an angry god; it’s kind of like what Tien talked about today when bringing up the speech Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I also think there are some ideas that the hurricane symbolizes.
For one thing, I think that the hurricane could represent a new start. Water in many stories can represent many different things from purity to freedom but I think here is represents a new beginning for Janie on her journey to find herself. Especially since Janie is forced to find a new path after the storm and the loss of Teacake. When a hurricane hits a certain area, that area needs to rebuild their lives because of the destruction. In doing so it is forcing these people to restart their lives in many cases.
From a religious perspective, the hurricane reminded me of two well-known biblical stories. One of them is Noah’s ark where the water flooded the earth in order to get rid of all the evil in the world and the other being Moses who was able to get himself and his people to safety by parting the sea and then closing it on their enemies. I am pretty sure that there are other references to water being pure and saving the good from the evil in the bible but I can’t think of any other references off the top of my head.
I wonder if Hurston is trying to prove that this actually did happen, in that all the evil was taken out of Janie’s life after the storm or if she means that it wasn’t that and instead there was still more evil left even after the storm. Is there a further message to be found here or am I once again reading into it too much?
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