ishes the stark physical differences between young, gay Mattie Silver and unattractive, gloomy Zeena Frome. Mattie and Zeena differ in character as much as they differ in appearance. A great hobby of Zennas was to find faults with others, though her fault-finding was of the silent kind, but not the less penetrating for that. (39) Zeena also had an obstinate silence (39) that frightened Mattie as well as her husband. Ethans wife was also a great cause of irritation for him:When she spoke, it was only to complain, and to complain of things not in his power to remedy. Of late her silence had begun to trouble him and wondered if Zeena was turning queer. At other times her silence seemed deliberately assumed to conceal far-reaching intentions, mysterious conclusions drawn from suspicions and resentments impossible to guess.(47)Zeen was a woman turned bitter by too much strife and too little reward. The location of the farm isolated her from her neighbors, so she rarely could socialize with others. Having nothing better to do, Zeena gives her own health fanatical attention. She is occupied constantly with new pills, stomach powders and books on diseases of the liver. Mattie Silver, however, was still young and full of hope and joy. Her small lot of suffering had just enough to give her a sense of appreciation to the kind hospitality of Zeena and Ethan, but not so much that she was embittered, as Zeena was. She had not been at the farm as long as Zeena had been there, and so was not so queer as Ethan described. Mattie, although not a natural housekeeper, tries her best to please Zeena and Ethan, although the former noticed her efforts far less than the latter. Mattie, by nature, was a caring, affectionate person. When Ethan returns from a hard day at work, Mattie is waiting for him with: A lamp on the table laid carefully for supper, with fresh doughnuts, stewed blueberries and his favorite pickles in a dish of gay red glass. A bright fire glo...
