Aaron Benitez

Mrs. Carroll
American Literature
1 April 2017
The Venom That Seeps From Mans Mouth

We, as human beings, are a species unique from the rest of our world. The way in which
we create, communicate, and live is unlike that of any other creature we know of. These qualities
have allowed mankind to unite and divide itself time and time again. To aid the creation of
connections with one another, people have followed a certain rule to build trust: do not speak ill
about other people. This rule aligns within the realm of natural duties, as the concept of mistrust
resulting from actions such as telling gossip and spreading rumors is a relatively simple idea to
grasp. No matter the culture or era, the choice not to talk about people in a negative light has
been seen as an action taken by someone of desirable virtue and honorable duty. The rule follows
the guidelines of the virtue and duty framework of decision making, as the moral obligation to
do the right thing and the drive to follow the steps of virtuous people help an individual steer
away from insulting and demeaning others when they are not around. With this rule in mind, a
person has the ability to form strong bonds among their family and community, leading to a
more positive atmosphere for all to enjoy.
While there are many character in Their Eyes Were Watching God that have not followed
this rule, Mrs. Turner is the first character that comes to mind that constantly breaks it. As an
African American woman with a light skin complexion, Mrs. Turner was shown as a person who
wishes not to be associated with the rest of her race and to be treated in a way that is similar to a
white person. Her role in the story was to draw Janie into her way of thinking and possible
convince Tea Cake for her brother. What makes Mrs. Turner a repeated offender to the rule is the
fact that she constantly talks poorly about people that are darker than her. Whether it be with her
husband or over at Janies house, Turner sees her race as uncivil and unruly, constantly pointing
out how she got tuh be lumped in wid all de rest (Hurston 142). While some people may say
that the women on the front proach in page 3 of chapter 1 do a far worse job at following this
rule as they made burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs (Hurston
2), I would say that Mrs. Turner is a better example of ill-will behind peoples back as her
distaste for a whole race come from a place without reason to hate. This blind distaste shows
how irrational she is, while the women on the porch have a pitiful reason to talk bad about Janie
as she strolls to town.
By not following the rule do not speak ill of other people, Mrs. Turner had to face
ill-willed gossip behind her back. As she was living at a place filled with African American
workers and musical performers, Mrs. Turner had to face some insults and backlash from people
that didnt like the way she viewed herself and other people. Tea Cake, for example, wasnt
happy to have her around Janie, resulting in him slapping his wife infront of Turner to assert his
dominance. No one wanted to be around Mrs. Turner and and she only wanted to be around
Janie.