Hurston spends two chapters on the start of the relationship with Tea Cake and Janie. I do not understand why or wha the purpose is of these two chapters.
Chapter 10 is important because it introduces the third and final man in Janie's life: Tea Cake. Hurston carefully draws contrasts between this new man and the departed Joe Starks. The first important difference between the men is Janie's degree of sexual attraction to each. Janie loved Joe's ambition and his ability to dream, but she was never explicitly attracted to him physically. However, Janie is physically attracted to Tea Cake and his archetypically African-American features from the first moment that she sees him.
Chapter 11 is about love. It is the first chapter in the novel where the real issues surrounding love are articulated: fear, doubt, sincerity, and sacrifice. Because this is the first time in the novel that these issues emerge, the reader can conclude that her relationship with Tea Cake is the first time that Janie has truly loved.
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