Tea Cake is more fun and laid back than her previous husbands. What is more important, however, is that he sees Janie as more of an equal than her previous husbands. Both of Janie's first two husbands regarded Janie at almost the same level as an object or property. Tea Cake sees Janie more as an equal and a companion. Scene: Tea Cake asks Janie to work with him in the Everglade fields. This is an action that sets Tea Cake apart from Janie's previous husbands. Both of her previous husbands wanted Janie to work, but their motivations and ways of getting her to do so were very different. Tea Cake wants her to work with him, to be closer to her, while her previous husbands wanted her to work because they saw her as a tool to be used for their own ends. Also, Tea Cake asked Janie to work, while previous husbands told her to work. This illustrates Tea Cake's role as the most progressive of Janie's husbands, he does not feel in charge simply by virtue of being a husband.