The death of a child is heartbreaking in any era, but in 1914, when Amy and her spouse are going through their crisis, psychology was a burgeoning field and neither would have had access to the mental health information we have today. Additionally, where they live, north of Boston, would have been remote, a fact made clear by the necessity of a home burial. The two would have had to rely on each other for support, so their impasse is significant and potentially damaging to their future. Both grieve but neither can understand the other, which creates the dramatic tension in their altercation. The outside narration doesn’t choose a side, highlighting that the tragedy exists for both characters.

Amy’s grief is debilitating. She is having trouble processing and is alternately fearful and angry. When her husband tries to talk to her, her face “change[s] from terrified to dull” (Line 9). She actively avoids discussing the matter, even as he asks her to, and physically moves away to avoid his request, threatening to leave the home. Eventually, she reveals how she relives the moment she saw her husband dig their son’s grave. She cannot comprehend how he could do so efficiently while the body of the child lay still in the house.