The Anatomy of Marriage: The 10 Most Dysfunctional Married Couples in Literature
Janie and Logan Killicks; Janie and Joe Starks
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
“Tea Cake reassures Janie of his love for her and only her… Her love makes Tea Cake ageless and immortal.”
Janie does not have too much luck when it comes to marriage. Her first marriage to a much older man ends when she runs off, unwilling to be little more than a servant to him. And her second marriage is an example of the dangers inherent with being attached to someone who sees you as little more than a trophy. Both marriages are terrible and lessons in what you don’t want in a relationship, but I really included this book because it also contains an example of one of my favorite (if still not exactly what you’d call “functional”) relationships in literature, that of Janie and Tea Cake. Janie’s love made him “ageless and immortal.” And that’s all you really need, right? Well, maybe. That and access to rabies shots.
