Ronald E. McNair Program


Constance Renee` Bailey 
  SCHOOL:  Alcorn State University
  MAJOR:  English Literature 
  MENTOR:   Dr. Ethel Young-Minor
  EXPECTED GRADUATION DATE:  May 2002
  ORGANIZATIONS & HONORS
  • Honor Student Organization
  • Gazette Library Club
  • English Club
  • Church Choir
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
   email:  crblove99@yahoo.com

 


 

ABSTRACT
 

The Resounding Silence:
The Role of Voice and Interiority on the Assertiveness of Zora Neale Hurston's Female Characters


   The purpose of this research is to critically evaluate the role of voice and silence in Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Spunk" and her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Specifically, the intent is to examine how Hurston's female characters use both voice and silence to establish themselves as assertive entities.  Personal experiences of Hurston that creatively stifled her are manifested in her female characters.  Oftentimes, these women opt for silence because they wish to speak to effect change rather than to simply create verbal noise.  Lena and Janie, the central figures in these works, exemplify how Hurston uses interior voice to describe a character's actions in certain situations. Ultimately, these characters arise as dynamic individuals because of their actions, their speech, and of course their silence.