Chapter 1 Summary

Ethan finds a job with opportunities for travel, but the illness of his parents draws him back to his home. He enjoys studying for its own sake and has changed a small parlor into his library. The trip this night to the church brings him a dose of reality. He sees Mattie smiling and laughing in ways he thought she reserved for him. He doesn't realize that his wife Zeena has been picking up on the changes in him and noticing the excuses he makes to spend time with Mattie.

Chapter 1 Analysis

The author begins to explain the characters by going back in time twenty years. The stage is being set for the complications that will arise between Ethan and his wife over Mattie. There is the contrast between the young napve woman who is guileless and the older woman who is jaded...