Their Eyes Were Watching God: 16-18

Chapter 16
One of the most obvious cases of racism appears in this chapter with the character of Mrs. Turner, who is so obsessed with the white race she believes interracial marriage only causes more issues, as it produces more blacks, and thus society should work to "lighten up de race". The fact thatMrs. Turner is not fully white, makes her opinions all the more interesting. Later in the chapter, Tea Cake runs in to Mr. Turner, a sad looking man. Mr. Turner comments on his relationship with his wife, saying she "takes time fuh whatever she wants tuh do".
I thought this was interesting not only because of the switch of the usual male dominance and female subservience roles, but also because of its similarity to Janie's previous relationship with Jody. Although we only meet Mr. Turner for a short time, what do you think about Mr. and Mrs. Turner's relationship in comparison to Janie and Jody's? If you think of Their Eyes Were Watching God as a feminist novel, do you think this relationship plays any sort of role in that?
Chapter 17
In Chapter 17, Tea Cake beats Janie when he feels threatened by Mrs. Turner's brothers. This incident complicates our understanding of Tea Cake and Janie's relationship. Although Tea Cake is quick to pamper her afterwards, and Janie is quick to forgive him, the incident still lingers in our minds as we continue reading.
Why do you think Hurston included this scene in Their Eyes Were Watching God? Why do you think Janie is so passive about this incident?
Chapter 18
"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."
Chapter 18 shows the climactic scene of the hurricane. The quotation above comes when Tea Cake, Janie, and Motor Boat are huddled together facing the monstrous hurricane. This scene shows that through human connections one is able to transcend the challenges of nature.
What kinds of challenges do you think Janie will be able to endure in the future as a result of surviving this hurricane with Tea Cake? On a somewhat unrelated note, what is your interpretation of the phrase "their eyes were watching God"? How does it relate to the novel as a whole? Why do you think Hurston chose it as her title?