The feelings Ethan has when he interacts with Mattie are in sharp contrast to the feelings he experiences during interactions with Zeena, who has a way of demeaning Ethan with her control of him. The night that Zeena is in Bettsbridge and Ethan is alone with Mattie, he fantasizes that he is married to Mattie. When the pickle dish breaks, Ethan becomes assertive; he takes over and makes decisions. He tells Mattie that he will glue the red dish together the next day before Zeena returns home. Ethan's intention is to deceive Zeena and protect Mattie. In so doing, he is proving his manhood and his love for Mattie. Although there is no physical contact between Ethan and Mattie, their nonverbal communication reveals the deep feelings they have for each other.
After Zeena tells Ethan that Mattie will have to leave their household because a hired girl is coming, Ethan's antipathy for Zeena is evident. He shows his anger and realizes that he has lost; Zeena has conniving dominance of his life. His impulsive plan to run off with Mattie becomes another unfulfilled dream. A partial cause of Ethan's tragedy is that he does not plan ahead. Instead, he escapes reality through self-delusion. Ethan deliberates between doing what's right and doing what he wants. In the end, he submits to his obligations.
Ethan sees suicide as the only escape from the loneliness and isolation that has become his life. When the attempt he and Mattie make fails to kill them, Ethan reverts to his old habits: He lives out his days as a prisoner of circumstance, suffering in silence.
