Mock arguments on pseudo-serious subjects, such as those about the mule, found in this chapter often occupy the porch sitters as they struggle to understand their position in the world. They also serve as a form of entertainment for the porch sitters. These discussions do not involve Janie, Joe, or even the town of Eatonville, but they help characterize the men and provide an interlude of local color.
Joe's domination over Janie continues. As the porch sitters share gossip and conversation, Janie longs to take part in this idle chatter, but Joe forbids her to associate with such "trashy people." As a result of his jealousy, he continues to forbid Janie from showing her hair in the store. Joe feels threatened that another man might steal Janie, his possession, away from him. (Perhaps Joe feels even more vulnerable because he actually stole Janie from Logan Killicks.) Joe believes that "she was there in the store for him to look at, not the others." Janie, like the majority of the town is a possession, owned by Joe.
In this chapter, much of the conversation among the porch sitters centers on Matt Bonner's helpless mule. When the men torture the animal, the mule fights, but the men only tease him more. The mule serves to symbolize Janie and her struggle with Joe. Just as the mule has been starved from food, Janie has been denied love and affection from Joe. Joe demands Janie's complete compliance and he continues to dominate her.
