unlike the horses, Mabel refuses to "go into harness" as Joe is doing (567). She will not allow her brothers to persuade her to live with her sister Lucy. She will not allow herself to be taken into another household in which she will not be heard. In this abstinence she stands in marked contrast with her brothers and displays her independence. While they are described as “subject animal” in the face of their future (567), Mabel's “bulldog” face shows her determination (568). She fights stubbornly for her independence. Her determination and power are manifested when the doctor, Jack Ferguson, comes to visit. Notably, Jack is immediately made uncomfortable by the way she looks at him. Even in her silence, she wields a power that intimidates Jack. This idea of Mabel being intimidating may seem counter to later events in the story. When Mabel visits her mother's grave, she tends it gently and softly. Mabel feels most at home at the graveside because there is no danger of rejection from the dead. Knowing that death will not reject her, Mabel shortly thereafter walks out into the middle of a pond. Everything about the pond suggests death. It is referred to as the “dead water,” the “dead cold,” and the “dead cold pond” (569). Since there is no rejection from the dead, Mabel embraces this acceptance by attempting to be consumed by death. However, the ironic power of her attempted suicide is reflected in the sudden action she inspires in Jack. The moment that Jack sees Mabel in the water he is strangely stricken; he cannot understand what Mabel is trying to do or why, but he is drawn into action. Fighting his fear, Jack walks out into the water to save Mabel. Once Jack gets her on the bank, he sees that she is "running with water" (570). Because the water suggests death, clearly Mabel is "running" with death. If Jack had not intervened, she would have succeeded in her suic...
