In Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie's journey towards acquiring her own voice and the ability to shape her own life is the central theme of the story. Janie's character evolves from a passive observer to an active participant in shaping her own destiny. The ability to shape her own life and the development of her own voice are closely related in Janie's story. By finding the strength to speak up and assert her own desires, Janie is able to take control of her own life and create a future that is true to her own sense of self.
At the beginning of the novel, Janie is a young girl who is told what to do and how to act by the people around her. She is married off to Logan Killicks without her consent, and she feels trapped and powerless in her own life. This is evident when Janie says, "She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman." (Hurston, 24) Janie recognizes that her marriage to Logan is not based on love, but rather a transaction between families. She is not happy in this marriage, and she feels that she has lost her sense of self. Janie's journey towards acquiring her own voice and the ability to shape her own life
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However, Joe is not the solution to Janie's problems. Joe is a domineering and controlling husband who believes that Janie's place is in the home. He wants her to be a trophy wife, a symbol of his power and success. Janie resists this role, and she begins to realize that her marriage to Joe is not fulfilling. She recognizes that she is not happy in this marriage when she says, "She had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them." (Hurston, 72) Janie realizes that she has a sense of self, and that she does not want to be defined solely by her husband's desires. She begins to develop her own voice, and she begins to assert