Based on the excerpt from “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” …

English Questions

Read the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie’s coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields. She didn’t forgive her for marrying a man as dark as Tea Cake, but she felt that she could remedy that. Based on this excerpt, it is reasonable to infer that Mrs. Turner

Short Answer

Mrs. Turner exhibits a judgmental nature, focusing on others’ appearance and life choices, particularly critiquing those who do not meet her standards of respectability. Her value system emphasizes complexion and beauty, reflecting implicit racism that influences her opinions of Janie’s relationships and reinforces harmful societal norms based on skin color.

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Observe Mrs. Turner’s Judgments

In the narrative, Mrs. Turner exhibits a strong tendency to engage in *judgment* of others, particularly focusing on their appearance and life choices. She expresses disdain for the clothing of women working in the fields, highlighting her belief that people should conform to her standards of respectability. Additionally, she critiques Janie’s relationship choices, particularly her marriage to Tea Cake, demonstrating her inclination to impose her values on others.

Step 2: Analyze Mrs. Turner’s Values

Mrs. Turner’s opinions reflect her *value system*, which places significant importance on *complexion* and *beauty*. She seemingly favors Janie due to her light skin and beautiful hair, which she associates with higher social status. In contrast, her view of Tea Cake’s *darker complexion* reveals her *implicit racism* and a hierarchy of skin tone that discounts the worth of Black individuals who do not meet her criteria for beauty.

Step 3: Understand the Implications of Racism

The attitudes demonstrated by Mrs. Turner suggest a deeper issue of *racism* within the community. Her preference for *white standards* illustrates how societal norms can influence personal relationships and perceptions of worth. This judgmental mindset can lead to a more profound societal impact, reinforcing divisions among people based on skin color and perpetuating a cycle of inferiority and superiority that ultimately harms the community as a whole.

Related Concepts

Judgment

The act of making considered decisions or reaching conclusions about others based on personal standards and biases

Value System

A set of consistent values and measures that guide an individual’s behavior and judgments, especially in social contexts

Racism

A belief or ideology that factors such as skin color determine an individual’s worth or abilities, often resulting in discrimination and prejudice against certain racial or ethnic groups.

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