How does race affect Janie and Teacake's relationship?

The relationship between Janie and Teacake changes when
the pair leaves Eatonville and must navigate the treacherous nature of racism in the
larger world. Within Eatonville, the pair is somewhat isolated from racism. Because
Janie is "the mayor's wife" she is still somewhat protected from the realities of the
outside world. Once Tea Cake and Janie leave Eatonville--first for Jacksonville and then
the Everglades--they are faced with the injustice and hardships of racism. We see this
is the gambling problems Tea Cake endures in Jacksonville, the reactions of Mrs. Turner
and the diner owners in the Everglades, and most explicitly in the aftermath of the
hurricane. Racism forces Janie to explore her surroundings on a level she could have
never done in Eatonville. As Janie states near the end of the novel, "Ah done been tuh
de horizon and back and now Ah kin sit heah in mah house and live by
comparisons."