Their Eyes are Watching God Chapter 6

In chapter 6, the towns people all get together and joke with Matt B about his mule. They sit on the porch of the shop and make fun of it for being skin and bones. They talk about how the woman are at the lake using its bones for a washboard. Janie feels for this helpless animal that is always mistreated by both Matt and is made fun of by the townspeople. She is treated poorly also by Jody. She is always told to do things like go and work in the store, just like the mule is always forced to work the field with an empty stomach. She feels for the mule because in her relationship with Jody she just does exactly what he tells her, she wants to feel like she is helping someone, because she cant stick up for herself. They both are mistreated for by their "masters", and she wanted to at least help one of them. When Jody bought the mule, Janie was extremely proud of Jody because he went out and helped the creature she wanted to help so badly.