As the old saying goes, it's not what you say, but how you say it that matters most. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the novel's protagonist, Janie Crawford, is immersed in a journey to establish her voice and, as a result, shape her own identity. Through a series of failed relationships, Janie finds herself constantly battling authoritarian male figures who attempt to define her by subjecting her to a role of silence and submission. Janie finally gains strong self-esteem as she finds the ability to control her voice and express herself openly and confidently. Throughout the novel, Hurston illustrates the duality of Janie's voice—the oppression of her silence and the liberation she feels when she reclaims her voice—and parallels this with her personal growth and maturation. Additionally, Hurston manipulates narrative structure to reinforce this process of self-discovery. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the novel, Janie's silence defines her as a passive person as she struggles to harness her own voice in the midst of the influence of those around him. her. In one case, Nanny decides that Janie will be married to Logan Killicks, and while "the vision of Logan Killicks desecrated the pear tree...Janie didn't know how to tell Nanny." She just leaned over and pouted at the ground” (14). Using only third-person narration to convey Janie's inner thoughts, Hurston effectively highlights her lack of voice at such a defining moment. Rather than expressing her true desires, Janie simply resigns herself to the fate Nanny has in store for her. Although Logan desecrates the handstand and Janie becomes increasingly aware of her sexuality, she cannot find it in herself to defy Nanny's will. So, in that sense, she has no voice, choosing instead to allow the voices of others to dominate hers. Hurston further demonstrates Janie's passive and shy nature through the depiction of Janie's relationship with Jody, her second husband, and the stronghold he exercises. each of his actions on her. From his insistence that Janie constantly keep her hair covered to his refusal to allow her to engage in even a simple game of checkers with other men, he keeps her speechless and unable to act on her own thoughts and desires . In one particular instance, when Jody was elected mayor of Eatonville, the townspeople asked Janie to give a speech, to which Jody quickly responded, "...my wife doesn't know anything about no speeches...she's uh a woman and her place is in the house” (43). In Jody's presence, Janie clearly has no voice and is therefore unable to establish an identity that reflects qualities of her own. She is defined in terms of Jody and not her own individuality. He objects to Janie repeatedly, but her only response is to remain silent. By exercising virtually total control over the use of Janie's voice, Jody reinforces the submissiveness that characterizes Janie's typical response at the beginning of the novel: "no matter what Jody did, she said nothing" (76). Yet it is Janie's marriage to Jody that also marks a turning point in her own maturation. Janie's individuality and personal growth become evident once she learns to challenge Jody's bossy ways. During Jody's later physical demise, she finally asserted herself to him as he lay on his deathbed, saying, "All bowing down, all disobedience under your voice - it is not for that. Ah rushed down the road.,.