The 1930s was a revolutionary time for American women because this was immediately after they were given the right to vote through the women’s suffrage movement. Women had finally gotten their recognition as cornerstones of society through the widespread availability of career opportunities outside the traditional housewife and child-bearer, albeit severely underpaid compared to their male counterparts. They were given a voice, but it was not up to their discretion whether they were to use it or not. It was only the men of the household who could decide a woman’s opinion in a particular manner. Women were silenced and were not given the same types of liberties enjoyed by modern Americans due to the patriarchal society that had dominated the early 20th century (Ward 11-13). Zora Hurston takes the discussion forward through her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which illustrates an African American woman empowered despite multiple oppressors that plague her. Throughout the novel, Janie’s femininity was found to be her source of empowerment against a traditionalistic society, through the use of her speech and interactions with her husbands and Nanny. Thus, Hurston expressly portrays Janie to be a black woman who demonstrates how silence can be transformed from a mode of oppression, especially for those who were insecure about her, to a means of empowerment for women in her time.
The first instance of silence was an oppressive one, wherein Janie was forced to marry Logan Killicks by Nanny due to her indecency, and fear of her suffering a fate plagued by insecurity (Hurston 45-52). When Janie tried to speak against it, she was treated to a slap across the face by Nanny, indicating that she had no right to speak on this matter. This experience was crucial in the theme of using one’s speech, or lack thereof, to indicate a lack of self-confidence in Janie. This enforced silence was brought upon by love, but it still led to Janie suffering the consequences of a loveless marriage.
Security was a major issue for women in the 1930’s (SECONDARY SOURCE). Hurston reflects this in her writing through the character of Nanny, who suffered from slavery and wished to save her descendants from a life similar to her own. Silence in this regard, originated from a sense of insecurity that was not offered to the women of the 1930’s if they were unmarried. Nonetheless, the silence offered in this scenario is found to still be oppressive because of the lack of choice there was in the matter.
The same type of silence was also offered by Logan who, despite being described as a dependable and earnest character by Nanny, constantly belittled Janie in hopes of preventing her from leaving him. He had forcibly attempted to silence Janie using mockery and insult. However, Janie did not feel the same level of insecurity, as she had already found a replacement for Logan who had offered the same level of security. As such, she chose to move on to her next husband, in pursuit of the horizons she was searching for.
Jody, her next husband, was someone who made Janie genuinely happy for a short while (Hurston 76-77). Despite this, he was still someone who domineered against Janie, forcing a silence that would prevent her from outshining him. He is a character that emphasizes how men at the time were incessant about being better than their female counterparts. The author espouses the need to take power away from men during this era through Janie’s interaction with Jody on his deathbed. She berates him unapologetically and pretends to be in mourning for months after his death (Hurston 124-128).
The type of silence that ensued is a juxtaposition to the silence she had experienced during her marriage with Jody. Although it may have seemed to be similar in effect, her silence had meant that she had grown. She no longer needed to continuously be perfect to avoid upsetting another individual, but she kept quiet at her discretion, which was impossible in the past because of insecurity. This new Janie was empowered and refused to be silenced by anyone other than herself.
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Janie’s character development manifested itself through her interactions with Tea Cake, her third husband. The choice of her last husband was a show of how much she has grown from her past two relationships. Where the previous two offered financial security and comfort, the third one presented no security whatsoever but only satisfaction. Tea Cake made her genuinely happy and valued her opinions as much as he did his own, but he had also been one to domestically abuse her, as evidenced in Chapter 17 (Hurston 190).
Despite her silence here being controversial, it was still a choice made by Janie. She had no reason to stay silent, but she did. This could be interpreted as her choosing to look past the abuse and move forward because of her husband who let her closer to the horizon. Either way, her silence was telling of her empowerment. She did not need to say any words for her to communicate the message.
The love her character feels is emphasized by the climax of her relationship with Tea Cake. Instead of deliberately emptying his pistol, she chooses to set it with three blanks before the bullets shoot (Hurston 231). This was an act of silence, in which she simultaneously chose not to disclose anything to Tea Cake, and to not allow any clues in her knowledge of the pistol. She stayed quiet because she was empowered and trusting; this was indicated by her lack of insecurity that he would not shoot her (Hurston 231).
Hurston also makes sure that the character development is not witnessed solely through the plot. She enforces the use of narration to communicate a certain silence that speaks loudly of the character. As most of the book was written through dialogue, it comes as a surprise that instead of telling the reader what she had explicitly said to the jury which led them to find her innocent, Janie remains silent while the narration speaks of what happened (Hurston 234-239). This was a deliberate decision by Hurston to communicate to the reader that Janie does not need to explain herself any longer. She was free through her silence.
The final chapter is the best representation of how silence has been empowering her. She tells Pheoby that she is content about returning to Eatonville and is not bothered by those who gossip on porches (Hurston 241-243). This is her at peace, her silence that had once been enforced by other people was now her choice to make. She did not need to explain herself to others, nor did she need to become someone she was not. She was secure by herself and empowered, nonetheless.
Overall, Hurston manages to deliver a well-written story about a black woman in pursuit of a horizon, who transforms from an oppressed housewife to an empowered single lady who chooses what she wants to do. She reaffirms to the public that silence does not necessarily mean oppression and that it can be a sign of maturity, security, or acceptance.
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