The power of speech and the power of silence are displayed throughout Hillary Jordan’s Mudbound. Laura McAllen starts off as a silent character, complying with whatever her husband, Henry McAllen, has to say or wants to accomplish. However, throughout the novel, Laura is pushed to her limits, ultimately breaking her silence. Laura McAllen displays the cause, power, and repercussions of speaking up. Throughout Hillary Jordan’s Mudbound, Laura McAllen proves that while it may be easier to conform with society’s stereotype of a woman staying silent, speaking up and having a voice is the only way to achieve ultimate happiness.
Laura McAllen is originally silent, feeling inferior and fearing the repercussions of what might happen if she ever…show more content… Originally, Laura remained submissive when Henry asserted his power over her. She “tried to be cheerful, but it was hard. Every day [she] said goodbye to some beloved person or thing. The porch swing of [her] parents’ house, where Billy Escue had given [Laura her] first real kiss the night of [her] seventeenth birthday. [Her] own little house on Evergreen Street, with its lace curtains and flowered wall paper. The roaring of the lions at the nearby zoo, which had made [her] uneasy when [Henry and Laura] first moved in but now provided a familiar punctuation to [her] days. The lights at [her] church, which fell in shafts of brilliant color upon the upturned faces of the congregation” (Jordan 55). Time and time again, Henry had taken away things that Laura cared about, and she had never challenged him. However, his attempt at getting rid of her piano pushed Laura to her breaking point. After Henry mentions getting rid of it to replace it with a bed for his father, Laura says, “‘When you told me you were bringing me here, away from my people and everything I’ve ever known, I didn’t say a word. When you informed me your father was coming to live with us, I went along. When Orris Stokes stood there and told you you’d been fleeced by that man, you rented the house from, I kept my mouth shut. But I’m telling you now, Henry, we’re not getting rid of…show more content… Initially after defying her husband over the piano, Henry was rougher and harsher towards Laura. “That night in [their] bed he took [Laura] hard, from behind, without any of the usual preliminaries. It hurt, but [she] didn’t make a sound” (Jordan 70). The repercussions to Laura’s outbreak started as negative, but eventually became positive as she began to feel empowered. Laura “never imagined [herself] capable of either great boldness or passion, and the discovery that [she] had reservoirs of both astounded [her]” (Jordan 256). After breaking out of her comfort zone, Laura was amazed that she didn’t always have to be submissive and inferior, giving her a sense of dignity. Laura’s newfound sense of strength and power inspired her to follow her happiness, even if it meant breaking her vows and sleeping with Jamie. After using her voice, Laura changed from an unhappy and irritated character to someone who was truly delighted. At the beginning of Mudbound, Laura is silent- leaving her miserable and irritated. However, at the end of the novel, while Laura was pregnant with Jamie’s child, she was truly happy. Her child, who she assumes will be a boy, “will grow into a man, whom [she’ll] love as fiercely as Florence loves Ronsel. And while [she’ll] always regret that [she] got [her] son at such terrible cost to [Florence’s son], [Laura] won’t
