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Interpreting The Novel 'Silence' By Zora Neale Hurston

1020 Words5 Pages

In this novel, silence furthers the way the reader can interpret this book. It is a big thing in this novel that adds to the plot. Silence doesn't just mean actual silence. For me, silence in TEWWG means points in the book where Janie could have spoken out to someone like Joe but didn’t for a reason. The reason being that she did not want to further the conflict at hand because she just wanted to live life to its fullest. In this novel, silence adds more than just a word; it sets up for future references in the book. It allows the characters in the book to portray a different side that you wouldn’t get from just about any other novel. The way that silence plays a big part in this novel is by the main character, Janie. For the majority of the book, Janie is tested and challenged at every turn she takes. There’s very few times in the book where she isn’t silent. Or for that matter, the main focus of the book. …show more content…

When the book is focused on her first husband, she is vocal about not wanting to marry him. And she expresses that at first, but after some time she is silent about it. She did warn Logan about leaving, but he didn’t take it seriously. When she did what she said she was going to do and left, she was silent about it, getting married while Logan was out buying things “for her” and himself. This time she had left with Joe Starks, a very vocal guy who swept her off his feet the day she saw him. She never told Logan about Joe specifically because she was silent. While she was with Joe, it felt like something she had never imagined before and when they had moved into Eatonville, Joe was calling all the shots. At the same time Jodie was quiet about all this was going on, whether it was when Joe was building their house or the shop. She was quiet on her own terms and not anyone else's. But when invited to speak at the official lamp post lighting, Joe restricted her to talk, forcing her to be

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