Characters

Janie Crawford

Janie is both the storyteller from whose perspective we hear the story as well as the novel’s protagonist. Given her mixed racial background and striking beauty, she is the subject of undue attention and severe scrutiny from her neighbors. Janie grows from being an innocent teenager to a woman who can stand her own ground. As the novel progresses, readers can discern that Janie is deeply independent and develops a strong voice.

Jody Starks

Jody Starks is Janie’s second husband who has high ambitions for himself. Handsome and successful, he is so determined about attaining power and influence that he not only neglects Janie but also resorts to constraining her self-expression. Though Janie and Jody had been drawn to each other initially, which in turn encouraged Janie to leave her first husband, their marriage is troubled nonetheless. She is controlled and treated like an inferior; as a result, Jody’s demise only makes her feel liberated.

Tea Cake

Tea Cake is Janie’s true love; she meets him after leaving Logan, her first husband, and falling out with Jody, her second husband. Much younger than Janie, Tea Cake also belongs to a lower social class. As a result, people not only look down upon their relationship but also believe that the young man is only interested in Janie’s wealth. Though earlier in the novel Janie might have been bothered by this gossip, she is unaffected by the gossip by the time she meets Tea Cake. He provides Janie a chance to fulfill her desire for sexual abandonment and encourages her sense of freedom. Their marriage, however, is also marred by Tea Cake’s violence toward her.

Logan Killicks

Logan, a rich landowner, is Janie’s first husband. Janie’s grandmother, who used to be a slave, arranges the marriage considering his significant social status and money; given her own traumatic past, Nanny regards financial security as the most important aspect of a marriage. Logan views Janie as just another person to split the farm work with; he does not see her as an individual, let alone as an equal partner. As a result, Janie’s marriage to Logan is short lived.

Nanny Crawford

Nanny is Janie’s grandmother; she arranges Janie’s marriage to Logan. She wishes and plans the best for her granddaughter, but being rooted in older, more oppressive notions of gender and marriage, she inadvertently leads Janie into a loveless marriage. Nonetheless, it is also telling that Nanny does not see the absence of love in a marriage as a problem. Nanny and Janie differ greatly in the way they approach independence and happiness.

Leafy Crawford

Leafy is Nanny Crawford’ daughter and Janie’s mother whom Janie never got to know personally. Leafy, a child of rape, also endures rape herself at the hands of her teacher and this trauma leads to her alcoholism. Immediately after Janie’s birth, Leafy leaves her under Nanny’s care and is never to be seen again.

Pheoby Watson

Pheoby is Janie’s best friend in Eatonville. She passionately defends Janie when other people from the town speak poorly of her. It is to Pheoby that Janie tells her story.

Sam Watson

Sam Watson is Pheoby’s husband; he is worried about Janie when he notices her going out with Tea Cake. He is concerned that she will be cheated out of her wealth by the younger man and warns her to be careful.

Captain Eaton

Captain Eaton is the primary authority figure in Eatonville. He is the ambitious donor who helps set up much of the town’s paltry infrastructure. However, Jody’s arrival displaces him from his position of power.

Hezekiah Potts

Hezekiah Potts is a loyal employee at Jody’s store; at first, he is worried about Janie’s association with Tea Cake. After Jody’s death, he attempts to gain power in Eatonville, much to Janie’s amusement.

Mr. and Mrs. Robbins

Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are regular patrons of Jody’s store. Janie stands up for Mrs. Robbins when some men at the store make fun of her for begging for a piece of meat.

Annie Tyler and Who Flung

Annie Tyler is a widow who was cheated out of her wealth by her young lover, Who Flung. Annie’s plight is presented as a cautionary tale to Janie.

Mrs. Turner

Mrs. Turner is Janie and Tea Cake’s neighbor at the muck. Though she befriends Janie, she and Tea Cake dislike each other. She attempts to set Janie up with her brother despite knowing that Tea Cake is Janie’s partner; she says that her brother has lighter skin than Tea Cake and is also more intelligent. Mrs. Turner embodies internalized racism.

Dr. Simmons

Dr. Simmons is a white doctor who informs Janie that Tea Cake has been bitten by dogs and contracted rabies. He also testifies as an expert in court; he suggests that Tea Cake had become a danger to himself and others, especially Janie. He argues that Janie had no choice but to shoot Tea Cake in order to protect herself.

Johnny Taylor

Johnny is the boy with whom Janie shares her first kiss under a pear tree. The kiss is witnessed by Nanny, and this is one of the reasons for Janie’s rushed arranged marriage to Logan Killicks.