The previous poster's comments are good. If you are indeed
focusing specifically on Their Eyes Were Watching God and follow
spottedslinky's very good suggestion to focus on the connections between plant life and
the novel's main character, you absolutely must (I write this with a smile!) talk about
the connections between Janie and the blossoming pear tree in Chapter
2.
Janie is experiencing a sexual awakening, I think it's
fair to say, and that awakening is represented through the symbols of the bee and the
pear tree in blossom. Read the passage out loud, slowly, and you're very likely to pick
up on the erotic imagery. Of course, it's important to understand, too, that Janie is
thinking here not just about sex but also about marriage. Throughout the novel she will
be looking for this very thing, a deep and passionate and lasting relationship with
someone whom she loves. She finds that relationship with Teacake, and at a later point
in the novel, she even likens him to a bee visiting a flower.
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