Tea Cake Quote by Zora Neale Hurston
““Mrs. Turner was a milky sort of a woman that belonged to child-bed. Her shoulders rounded a little, and she must have been conscious of her pelvis because she kept it stuck out in front of her so she could always see it. Tea Cake made a lot of fun about Mrs. Turners shape behind her back. He claimed that she had been shaped up by a cow kicking her from behind. She was an ironing board with things throwed at it. Then that same cow took and stepped in her mouth when she was a baby and left it wide and flat with her chin and nose almost meeting.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, 1937
The passage humorously critiques how a woman's body is objectified and reduced to a source of ridicule, using vivid metaphor to expose societal cruelty.
In simple terms: Body is mocked and reduced to objects.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and reject dehumanizing humor.
Themes
body image
humor
gender
societal critique
Mood
critical
ironic
Type
literary
social commentary
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- social commentary
- gender studies
Key Concepts
objectification
metaphor
social commentary
Questions to Reflect On
- How does humor mask cruelty?
- What impact does objectification have on identity?
![“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men [and women].” quote by Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b4c/zora-neale-hurston-923_death_ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wis_14724.jpg)
