Read the excerpt from The Land. "We just want to talk to him, Edna," Hammond assured her. Still, though, as we rode away, I saw Miz Thomas frown, and young as I was, I knew she was worried. She was worried because my brothers had come. My brothers had come asking about Mitchell, and my brothers were white.

What is most likely the author’s purpose in this excerpt?

to explain that Edna is worried in order to help the reader understand her influence on Mitchell
to explain Paul’s thoughts in order to help the reader understand his motivations
to explain that the brothers are white in order to introduce a character vs. society social conflict
to explain the brothers’ actions in order to create a character vs. character physical conflict