Janie's Voice and Identity

Bernadette Miner

Mr. Joyce

20TH Century Fiction

September 19, 2007

Janie’s Voice and Identity

In Hurstons novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she used many symbolic

Descriptions, voices, and identities. Janie Crawford has many voices and identities in

The story. Voices can be expressed verbally or non verbally. Identities are different for

All human beings, but involves individuality. Janie has many of them in many events

Of her life. Hurston used the character, Janie, in such a way that she finds a voice as

An instrument of injury, salvation, self hood, and empowerment. Better yet places great

Emphasis on the control of language as the source of identity and empowerment. Janie

Through many struggles and tribulations finds, protects, and delivers her voice and

Identity by the end of the novel.

For instance Janie’s grandmother, Nanny, was a slave and never able to speak.

“You know, honey, us colored folks is branches without roots and that makes things

Come round in queer ways. You in particular. Ah was born back due in slavery so it

wasn’t for me to fulfill my dreams of whut a woman oughta be and to do. Dat’s one

Of de hold-backs of slavery. But nothing can’t stop you from wishin’.” ( 16 ) Another

Quote showing this evidence is, “ Ah wanted to preach a great sermon about colored

Women sittin’ on high, but they wasn’t no pulpit for me.” ( 16 ) She wanted Janie to

Have a voice and have people listen to her. Janie married Joe Starks, left for Eaton-

Ville where Joe became mayor. Eatonville citizens wanted Janie to make a speech, but

Joe interrupted by saying,” Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know

Nothin’ bout’ no speech makin’.. ah never married her for nothing’ lak dat. She uh

Woman and her place is in de home.”( 43 ) She wanted to speak at another occasion

About Matt Bonner’s mule, but was again forbidden to do so, as well as telling stories

To other people, which she was good at and liked to do. “ Janie loved the conversation

And sometimes thought up good stories on the mule, but Joe had forbidden her to

Indulge. He didn’t want her talking after such trashy people.” ( 53-54) Eventually she

Is tired of being belittled and insulted by Joe, that she is less conversational as time

Goes on and decides to quit fighting back. It wasn’t worth trying anymore. “ Dat’s ‘cause

You need telling’,” he rejoiced hotly.” It would be pitiful if Ah didn’t. Someone got to

Think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none

Themselves.”( 71 )

Later on she married Tea Cake. Janie is allowed speak her mind. He wants and

Encourages her to speak what she feels and react to them, as opposed to Joe. In the Ever-

Glades, Janie feels that she can contribute to the stories other people are telling and she

Has a voice there.

Hurston uses very interesting and different identities in the book Their Eyes Were

Watching God. For instance, when Janie has no grip on her identity when she was a girl,

Until she sees a picture of herself as a young child. “So when we looked at de picture and

And everyone got pointed out there wasn’t nobody left except a real dark little girl with

Hair standing by Eleanor. Dat’s where Ah wuz supposed to be, but Ah couldn’t recognize

Dat dark chile as me. So Ah ast, ‘where is me? Ah don’t see me.’( 9 )

“ Everybody laughed, even Mr. Washburn. Miss Nellie, de Mama of de chillun

Who come back after her husband dead, she pointed to de dark one and said, ‘Dat’s you,

Alphabet, don’t you know yo’ ownself?’( 9 ) Janie not knowing she was “mulatto” until

She found out that her mother and grandmother were both raped by white men. She was

Confused and unaware of her identity when everyone called her by many different names.

“ Dey all useter call me Alphabet ‘cause so many people had done named me different

Names. Ah looked at de picture a long tome and seen it was mah dress and mah hair so

Ah said:” Aw, aw! Ah’m colored!”( 9 )

Raised by her grandmother, Janie unaware of her family history, and not knowing

Her father put mental confinement on her own identity. Janie’s identity grew as she

Become a woman by realizing that love don’t make a marriage, but a wonderful relation-

Ship between a couple. “ Ah know all dem sitter-and-talkers gointuh worry they guts

Into fiddle strings till dey find out whut we been talkin’ ‘bout. Dat’s all right, Pheoby,

Tell ‘em. Dey gointuh make ‘miration ‘cause mah love didn’t work lak they love, if

Dey ever had any. Then you must tell ‘em dat love ain’t something’ lak uh grindstone

Dat’s de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everthing it touch. Love is

Lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets,

And it’s different with every shore.”(191) For instance when Janie married Logan Killick,

So that her grandmother can pass away peacefully and know her wish for her grand-

Daughter was fulfilled. She had no grip on her identity again when Janie married Joe

Starks as he has her tie her hair up in head rags out of jealousy of other men wanting her

And not allowing her to be herself. As Joe Starks passes away, her identity grew. She

Unties her hair, burns her head rags, and decides to do as she pleases, and live her life the

Way she chooses. For instance her hair become her unconventional identity and a symbol

Of her power. It also represents her independence and defiance of petty community

Standards and symbolizes “whiteness “ contributing to the normally white male power

That she empowers that disrupts the traditional power relationships.” Nigger, whut’s yo’

Baby doin’ wid gray eyes and yaller hair?” ( 17 )

She realized her identity changed in a good way, when her grandmother wanted

Her to search for things, when all Janie wanted was someone to love and someone

To giver love back, as Tea Cake achieved. Janie achieved her identity when she has been

To the horizon and back, met her dreams, and feels her soul was once separated from her

Body and now her soul is part of her. All the experienced events, trials, and tribulations

Help achieve this.

In conclusion, Janie had no voice, no identity when she was younger. As she

Grew, experienced new events, and lived her life that she had, Janie finally succeeded

Her voice, identity, and sense of living for the future, what ever it may be.