Question

Read the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God. Tea Cake felt sorry for him without knowing why. So he didn’t blurt out the insults he had intended. But he couldn’t hold in everything. They talked about the prospects for the coming season for a moment, then Tea Cake said, “Yo’ wife don’t seem tuh have nothin’ much tuh do, so she kin visit uh lot. Mine got too much tuh do tuh go visitin’ and too much tuh spend time talkin’ tuh folks dat visit her.” Which best describes Tea Cake’s intent in mentioning Janie and Mrs. Turner to Mr. Turner? He hopes Mr. Turner can influence Mrs. Turner to visit less frequently. He wants Mr. Turner to encourage Mrs. Turner to find fulfilling activities. He wants to show Mr. Turner that Janie works harder than Mrs. Turner. He hopes to encourage Mr. Turner to visit him along with Mrs. Turner.

Answer 1

Tea Cake indirectly communicates his displeasure about Mrs. Turner's visits by contrasting his wife Janie's industrious nature with Mrs. Turner's availability for socializing. He seems to take pride in Janie's hard work and financial contributions, subtly discouraging Mr. Turner from expecting similar behavior from Janie.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God depicts Tea Cake's intent in mentioning Janie and Mrs. Turner during his conversation with Mr. Turner. Tea Cake's comments imply that he sees his wife's hardworking nature and financial contributions as superior to Mrs. Turner's perceived idleness. Despite feeling sorry for Mr. Turner, Tea Cake highlights the differences in their wives' lives, suggesting that Janie's busy life and independence make her less available for social visits than Mrs. Turner.

Tea Cake's intent seems to be to indirectly communicate his displeasure regarding Mrs. Turner's frequent visits and the differences between the two women's lifestyles. By emphasizing that Janie has "too much tuh do tuh go visitin' and too much tuh spend time talkin' tuh folks dat visit her," Tea Cake contrasts Janie's industrious and self-sufficient character with Mrs. Turner's, though it is unclear whether he wants to simply state a fact or subtly critique Mrs. Turner's behavior. Nonetheless, his words suggest a sense of pride in Janie's abilities and a desire to perhaps discourage Mr. Turner from expecting similar behavior from her.

Answer 2

Tea Cake mentioned Janie and Mrs Turner to Mr. Turner because he wants Mr. Turner to encourage Mrs. Turner to find fulfilling activities. From the given passage, it can be seen that Mrs. Turner has a lot of time in her hands as she usually spend it by visiting and gossiping with other women. Tea Cake compared his busy wife to Mrs.Turner so that Mr.Turner will see the need to get his wife engage in fulfilling activities that are better than gossiping and unsolicited visiting.