& # 8217 ; re Eyess Were Watching God Essay, Research Paper

A Voice With Experience

In Zora Neale Hurston s novel, Their Eyess Were Watching God, many critics have argued over whether or non the chief character, Janie, finds her voice by the terminal of the novel. Yet many seem to be confused as to what her & # 8220 ; voice & # 8221 ; is. Her voice is her ability to show her ideas and expose her emotions verbally. Many relate the inquiry of Janie s voice to her sum of emotional strength ( her ability to face her jobs or run off from the current state of affairs instead than be isolated in it ) , yet these things are a wholly different affair wholly. While Janie s emotional strength varies throughout the novel, her voice is ever at that place.

Her voice is proven from the beginning when she argued about housekeeping with her first hubby, Logan, and it became even more apparent in her relationship with her following hubby, Joe. She did non talk to Joe frequently because he did non intend much to her and she did non blow her energy on ever reasoning with him. But when she found a topic on which she wanted to talk her head, she ever did. Many seem to believe that Janie found her voice towards the terminal of the novel because that is when she spoke most frequently. Yet the ground she spoke more is because she had person who she cared approximately and to whom she wanted to talk to ( her hubby, Tea Cake ) . In her test in defence of killing Tea Cake ( the state of affairs in which many argue that Janie s silence was cogent evidence that she had non yet found her voice ) , her silence has nil to make with whether or non she is emotionally strong or has a voice. Her silence is the consequence of the love she felt with Tea Cake. Though she felt really emotional, Janie understood that love was non something you could show verbally and she hence chose non to talk.

In Janie s first relationship with Logan, it becomes clear that Janie had both her voice and emotional strength. Expecting that matrimony would convey love, Janie married a husbandman, Logan Killicks, at a immature age. Yet her relationship with him was non what she expected. He was ugly and lazy and didn Ts even give a idea to Janie s feelings. He forced her to make excess work and ne’er treated her like the adult female she was. When after hours of housekeeping, and Logan asked her to chop wood for him one twenty-four hours, Janie eventually felt that she needed to protest, stating & # 8220 ; Ah m merely every bit stiff as you is stout. If you can stand non to chop and lug wood Ah reckon you can stand non to git no dinner. Scuse mah freezolity, Mist Killicks, but Ah don t mean to chop de first chip. & # 8221 ; ( p.26 ) This shows that even at this point, Janie decidedly had a voice. Janie s emotional strength is besides proven at this clip. She is evidently fearless of Logan and has no job facing him with her jobs. She even confronts him about running off stating & # 8220 ; S pose Ah wuz to run off and go forth yuh sometime I might take and happen person digital audiotape did swear me and go forth yuh & # 8221 ; ( p.30 ) . When Joe came along speech production of & # 8220 ; alteration and opportunity & # 8221 ; , Janie acted rapidly, running off with him and acquiring married that same twenty-four hours. This shows that Janie had the emotional strength to face Logan and run off from his commanding and depraved ways.

Throughout Janie s relationship with her following hubby, Joe, she continued to maintain her strong voice but showed failing emotionally. Speaking of & # 8220 ; alteration and opportunity & # 8221 ; , Janie was instantly attracted to Joe Starks. This is precisely what Janie wanted at the clip: a alteration from her life with Logan and a 2nd opportunity at life and love. But the alteration and opportunity that Joe was talking of was really different than what Janie wanted or expected. He was non looking for love or a comrade, but alternatively wanted to utilize Janie to advance his image as a leader for his new programs to get down a black community. Janie shortly realized this after it was excessively late. Her life with Joe was atrocious. Joe seldom said a word to her or even looked at her after awhile, and alternatively was excessively involved in his concern. He was really commanding of her life, ne’er even desiring to hear what she had to state. When being inducted into office as the town city manager, the townsfolk wanted to hear some words from Janie, but Joe would non let this, stating, & # 8220 ; Thank yuh fuh yo regards, but mah married woman Don T know nothin bout no speech-makn. Ah ne’er married her for nothin lak digital audiotape. She s uh adult female and her topographic point is in de home. & # 8221 ; The fact that Janie ne’er talked back and ever kept out of Joe s manner ( alternatively of facing him or running off from him ) shows that Joe s maltreatment was doing Janie emotionally weak. Janie s emotional failing at this clip becomes obvious when Joe forces her to work in his shop all twenty-four hours without any grudge or expostulation from her.

Despite her increasing emotional failing, Janie s voice throughout this clip was still apparent. Though she was frequently excessively intimidated and weak to talk back to Joe, when she felt that she needed to talk her head and there was no hazard involved, she did. A good illustration of this took topographic point when some of the locals were badgering a mule. She felt really near to the alone and abused mule and could associate to many of it s jobs. When she could take their ridicule of the mule no more, she spoke, stating & # 8220 ; They oughta be ashamed uh theyselves! Teasin dat hapless beast animal lak they is! Done been worked tuh decease. D

one had his temperament ruint wid mistreatement and now they got tuh finish devilin im tuh decease. Wisht Ah had mah manner wid mutton quad all.” Though she did non hold the bravery to state this publically, these strong words were overheard by Joe, and convinced him to put the mule free. Another incident that shows Janie s voice took topographic point near Joe s decease. Janie knew that she could non maintain the emotions that she had felt for over 20 old ages locked up inside of her and she decided to hold a talk with Joe before he passed. Despite his weak status, when Joe didn T want to listen to what Janie had to state, she persisted, shouting “Ah knowed you wasn t gointuh lissen tuh me. You changes everything but nothin Don t alteration you- non even decease. But Ah ain t goin outa here and Ah ain t gointuh stillness. Naw, you gointuh listen tuh me one clip befo you die. Have yo manner all yo life, trampling and squash down and so decease ruther than tuh allow yo self heah bout it. Listen, Jody, you ain t de Jody ah tally off down de route wid. You se whut s left after he died ” ( p.86 ) This quotation mark shows her strong voice every bit good as her increasing emotional strength in visible radiation of Joe s passing. After Joe did decease, Janie was left in a alone province but with a personal freedom she had non felt for old ages. Yet this solitariness didn T last for long, as a new adult male, Tea Cake, came into the image.

Janie most frequently showed her natural strong voice in her clip spent with her following hubby, Tea Cake. Alone and lonesome in Joe s shop, a fine-looking adult male named Vergible Forests came in to purchase some coffin nails. Janie was immediately attracted to his good expressions and the fact that ( unlike most work forces that talked to Janie after Joe s decease ) he did non look like he wanted something from her. While Joe said that Janie didn T have the encephalons to larn how to play draughtss, Tea Cake ( Vergible s moniker ) knew better and had no uncertainties, inquiring her for a game on his first visit. Though loath at first, Janie could non assist but love him and she finally ran away and married him. Her life with Tea Cake was like nil she had experienced before. It was precisely like what she had dreamed of when she was younger. Though he was non rich or powerful like Joe, he treated Janie like a adult female and genuinely loved her back. While she seldom spoke with Joe, she could barely maintain her oral cavity closed when she was with Tea Cake. Yet by merely looking in each other s eyes, they could show the deep love they felt for one another. Many critics believe that Janie found her voice towards the terminal of the novel because that is when she talked the most, but this is non the instance. The ground she used her voice more at this point is because she had person to utilize it on. Though she ever had her strong voice, Tea Cake gave her a ground to utilize it.

Janie s silence at the test for Tea Cake s decease was non a consequence of her deficiency of a voice, but alternatively her pick, stoping in the thought that love can non be expressed through words. In an attempt to get away a deathly hurricane, Janie got trapped in a river, hanging on to a cow for her life. In seeking to assist Janie out of the state of affairs Tea Cake got bit by a rabid Canis familiaris. The lesion healed in merely a few yearss and the incident was forgotten about until about a month subsequently when Tea Cake got ill. His illness took him over and he became hallucinating. At one point he picked up a gun and was ready to hit it at Janie. Despite their still strong love, to salvage her ain life, Janie shooting and killed him. She evidently blamed nil on Tea Cake, but alternatively the rabid Canis familiaris who bit him in the first topographic point. That same twenty-four hours Janie was forced to travel on test. Sing that there were no informants and no existent cogent evidence of what happened, much of Janie s defence was based on the fact that she loved Tea Cake. But when she got up and was expected to talk, there were few words that came out. This is because Janie knew that love can non be expressed through words, and like she said to Pheoby subsequently in the narrative, & # 8220 ; talkin wear t sum tuh uh hill uh beans when yuh can t make nothin else. And listenin tuh digital audiotape sort uh talk is jus lak openin yo oral cavity and lettin de moon shine down yo pharynx. It s uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh travel at that place tuh cognize there & # 8221 ; Janie is stating that you have to see love to understand it, and that it would hold done her no good to seek to show verbally what she felt for Tea Cake.

At the terminal of the novel, Janie walked off from the test with both her voice that had been with her throughout her whole life, the emotional strength that she had gained through her love with Tea Cake ( and which had continued even after his decease ) , and something that she had non known before: experience. ( Experience with decease, love, matrimony, and life in general. ) Many argue that Janie found her voice towards the terminal of the novel because that is when she spoke the most. Yet Janie had had her voice throughout, from her loveless matrimony with Logan, to her opprobrious relationship with Joe, and through her celestial clip spent with Tea Cake. Tea Cake didn T aid Janie happen her voice, but alternatively merely gave her something to utilize it on. Yet while critics will reason everlastingly over the inquiries of Janie s voice and emotional strength, it is unquestionable that she walked off from it all with a new sense of cognition and experience. And with these things, Janie was cabable of covering with whatever new challenge came her manner.