chapter 8

"Listen, Jody, you ain’t de Jody ah run off down de road wid. You’se whut’s left after he died."

Janie means that ever since Jody became mayor, and he got a "Big Voice", he has really gotten beside himself. She thinks that the Joe that she first met, and ran off down the road with died a long time ago. She feels that the Joe she knows now is just a pitiful shadow of Joe back when he wasn’t just a voice.

"All dis tearin’ down talk!" Jody whispered with sweat globules ... forming all over his face and arms. "Git outa heah!"

"All dis bowin’ down, all dis obedience under yo’ voice – dat ain’t whut Ah rushed off down de road tuh find out about you."

Now that Janie spoke up, all Jody Joe can do is whisper, because all of those years of Janie taking Joes criticism, she finally speaks up and tells him what is really on her mind, right before he dies. All he could do now is tell her what he wishes that would happen to her, and to get out, the big voice is now gone.