Alice Walker states,“While many women had found their voices, they also knew when it was better not to use it.” Janie Crawford must find her voice in a world where oppression of women is common. For Janie, finding her voice does not only mean being able to speak up for herself, but also realizing who she is as a person. In her early years, people limit Janie’s voice because of the belief that a woman’s opinions are not valuable. As she grows older, Janie finds her voice, and she also learns how to respect others’ opinions. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses Janie’s romantic and familial relationships to show how the people around her affect her voice.
The earliest influences on Janie’s voice come from her childhood. As a child, Janie is called Alphabet and not her real name, since “so many people had done named [her] …show more content…
Janie is wary of Teacake, but for the first time she is free to choose her lover. With Teacake, Janie has freedom to express herself. She finds herself contradicting Tea Cake and stating her own opinions. In a conversation with Teacake, Janie interjects with: “Ah specks tuh kill yuh dead. You heah me?” (124). In her previous relationships, this free and dominating side of Janie is never revealed since she is always limited by her partners. Tea Cake’s ability to respect and encourage Janie’s opinions help her to find her voice. However, there are still moments in the presence of others where Janie holds back. For example, while talking with Mrs. Turner about race, Janie does nothing to defend Tea Cake even though she disagrees with Mrs. Turner’s opinions about him. After Tea Cake’s death, Janie is forced to speak her mind and be comfortable with her own identity. Janie speaks out in court to tell her story without fear or hesitation, and she ends her journey speaking freely on the porch just as she has desired to do for
The earliest influences on Janie’s voice come from her childhood. As a child, Janie is called Alphabet and not her real name, since “so many people had done named [her] …show more content…
Janie is wary of Teacake, but for the first time she is free to choose her lover. With Teacake, Janie has freedom to express herself. She finds herself contradicting Tea Cake and stating her own opinions. In a conversation with Teacake, Janie interjects with: “Ah specks tuh kill yuh dead. You heah me?” (124). In her previous relationships, this free and dominating side of Janie is never revealed since she is always limited by her partners. Tea Cake’s ability to respect and encourage Janie’s opinions help her to find her voice. However, there are still moments in the presence of others where Janie holds back. For example, while talking with Mrs. Turner about race, Janie does nothing to defend Tea Cake even though she disagrees with Mrs. Turner’s opinions about him. After Tea Cake’s death, Janie is forced to speak her mind and be comfortable with her own identity. Janie speaks out in court to tell her story without fear or hesitation, and she ends her journey speaking freely on the porch just as she has desired to do for