e her dreams over” (Hurston 79).Janie does not want possessions and status for herself. Joe’s verbal abuse dominates her through their marriage. Though Janie begins to emerge with a powerful voice when she defends herself from his coarse words, “You big-bellies round here and put out a lot of brag, but ‘tain’t nothin’ to it but yo’ big voice. Humph! Talkn’ bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life” (Hurston 75). This triumphal scene in Joe’s store marks the immediate decline of her marriage with him, but also marks the next step she will take toward self-fulfillment. Though, Joe responds with a pathetic command for silence and the wish that lightening strike Janie dead. Callahan concedes, “[Janie] keeps on talking and her voice hastens his imminent death (104). Janie is coming to her self-realization that she has a voice and can be heard. She is learning to open her mouth and stand up for herself. Joe’s physical abuse of Janie causes her to figuratively leave the marriage. “[Jody] slapped Janie until she had a ringing sound in her ears…” (Hurston 67). “Janie stood until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside to see what it was. It was her image of Jody that tumbled down and shattered” (Hurston 67-68). At this moment Janie has read the system of signs sufficiently to experience inner change (376). The number of times that Janie is silenced by others testifies to the power, both potential and real of her inner voice (Kaplan 118). Janie again realizes that Jody Starks does not fulfill the image of the bee and the pear tree. Janie’s route to self-definition includes rejection of her grandmother’s definitions and those imposed on her by her two husbands (Jones 371). “With his big voice Joe Starks, in effect became NannyR...
