•The selected passage of the novel of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston demonstrates the physical symptoms of Joe’s terminal illness as well as Janie’s final disengagement from her marriage. The passage, set in Janie’s home directly follows Janie and Joe’s argument at the store. The passage begins with Joe’s perspective and then, following his animalization, quickly changes to Janie’s perception of her own stillness and Joe’s decay. The change in perspective, coupled with the alliterative imagery of Janie’s stagnation as well as Joe’s decay demonstrates that Janie is free from her marriage only as her husband slips towards death, further reinforcing Janie’s powerlessness over her own existence.