Voices are powerful when they are allowed to be, and a loss of voice can be a loss of power. Janie looses her voice constantly throughout the first four chapters in Zora Neale Hurston's Their eyes were watching God. at the beginning of the book Janie looses her voice with her Grandmother, lacking the ability to stand up for herself in her upcoming marriage. "'you answer me when Ah speak. Don't you set dere poutin' wid me after all Ah done went through for you!" (Hurston 14). Janie doesn't have the voice to speak up for herself or even answer her grandmother. She doesn't have a voice to respond to the gossipers or stand up against their gossiping words. "they scrambled a noisy 'good evenin' ' and left their mouths setting open and their ears full of hope"(Hurston 2). Janie doesn't use her voice to stand up against the gossipers hopeful ears, wanting to hear about all her bad news. Her lack of voice is so prevalent that she even looses it around her best friend, Jody. "Janie at heartily and said nothing. Janie doesn't use her voice until she is given it by someone else, not using it when she may need to, or when she doesn't want to. her voice is controlled by the will of others, not her own will.
Her husbands also silence her voice and control it to suit their will. '"Ah wants to make a wife outa you'" (Hurston 29). He doesn't giver her the option of saying yes or no, he just states what he wants without giving her the option to say yes or no. taking her way her voice. Her first husband doesn't want her to speak when he hears things he doesn't want to hear "'Ah'm gettin' sleepy, Jainie. Let's don't talk no mo'.'"(Hurston 30). He shuuts off her voice when he hears her complaints about the marriage. When he hears things he doesn't want to hear he refused to hear them, making Janie's voice silenced and be take her power. Jannie completely looses her voice and s silent around her husband and his wishes. "Jannie turned from the door without answering, and stood still in the middle of the floor without knowing it. she turned wrongside out just standing there and feeling."(Hurston 32). Her voice is taken so she has no choice but to just feel what she's feeling without having a voice to express her feelings.
