A Summer Tragedy

“Jeff, standing outside the door, with his absurd hat in his left hand, surveyed the wide scene tenderly. He had been forty-five years on these acres. He loved them with the unexplained affection that others have for the countries to which they belong.”

The image of Jeff tenderly surveying the land he has worked for the past few decades demonstrates that, despite years of living in poverty, he still manages to find a sense of pride in certain aspects of his life. His affection is described as inexplicable, as outsiders might wonder how he is able to love any aspect of a harsh, exploitative system such as share farming.

“But even the frizzly chickens seemed now to be in a stupor. Jeff thought that they had some ailment; he expected all three of them to die shortly.”

The frizzly chickens in Jeff and Jennie’s yard symbolize the couple’s mood in the hours leading up to their suicide. The chickens walk around in a stupor, mirroring the stupor that Jeff experiences as he contemplates the suicide pact. In addition, Jeff’s sense that the chickens will die soon foreshadows his own death at the end of the story.

“Again Jeff’s thought halted as if paralyzed. The suggestion of the trip fell into the machinery of his mind like a wrench. He felt dazed and weak.”

The simile comparing the idea of the trip to a wrench reinforces the enormity of Jeff and Jennie’s plan. Even the thought of the pact is enough to stop Jeff in his tracks. Furthermore, given that the trip’s purpose is not revealed until the end of the story, this simile provides a sense of foreshadowing by highlighting Jeff’s uncertain feelings.

“He would have liked a few more minutes in which to turn things around in his head. As it was, with Jennie chiding him about being afraid, he had to keep going.”

Throughout the story, Jeff struggles with his fear about their plan. He looks down on men who exhibit weakness and, therefore, is hesitant to admit that he is scared. However, since Jennie is “chiding him about being afraid,” he feels unable to break out of the limitations that are placed on him by traditional ideals of masculinity.

“Jeff thought it killed a good many share farmers as well as mules, but he had no sympathy for them. He had always been strong, and he had been taught to have no patience with weakness in men. Women or children might be tolerated if they were puny, but a weak man was a curse.”

Jeff reflects on the damage inflicted by the share farming system, believing that the backbreaking labor it requires kills both mules and farmers. This speaks to the harsh, exploitative nature of this system. Furthermore, Jeff’s lack of patience with “weakness in men” reflects the traditional notions of masculinity that he was raised with.

“That relieved Jennie. It strengthened her to know that her old enemy had seen her pass in her best clothes. That would give the old she-devil something to chew her gums and fret about, Jennie thought.”

Delia Moore serves as a foil for Jennie, as Delia represents the type of improper womanhood that Jennie disapproves of. Through this contrast with Delia, Jennie’s values and priorities are contextualized. Despite the impoverished life she has led, driving past Delia represents one final triumph for Jennie.

“‘How many you make las’ year?’ ‘Twenty-eight,’ he said. ‘How come you ask that?’ ‘I’s jes thinking,’ Jennie said quietly. ‘It don’t make a speck o’ diff’ence though,’ Jeff reflected.”

This conversation between Jennie and Jeff reflects the exploitative nature of share farming. No matter how many bales of cotton Jeff manages to produce, they will never be able to escape their debt to Major Stevenson. This serves as a driving factor behind their decision to die by suicide.

“She cried aloud in a dry cracked voice that suggested the rattle of fodder on dead stalks. She cried aloud like a child, for she had never learned to suppress a genuine sob.”

The description of Jennie’s sobs highlights the differences in the societal expectations of Jeff and Jennie based on their gender. While Jeff strives to live up to the masculine ideals of strength and bravery, Jennie never had to learn how to suppress her emotions, and she is able to express herself through crying.

“Jeff’s voice choked; his eyes blurred. He was terrified to hear Jennie say the thing that had been in his mind all morning. She had egged him on when he had wanted more than anything in the world to wait, to reconsider, to think things over a little longer. Now she was getting cold feet.”

Despite Jeff’s continued attempts to maintain a brave façade, he relies on his wife as a source of strength to quell his own doubts about their plan. In this moment, Jeff’s bravery begins to falter as he realizes that Jennie might have her own doubts. This moment reflects the couple’s continued reliance on one another.

“Another one might kill him. The least it could do would be the leave him helpless. Jeff gasped…Lord, Jesus! He could not bear to think of being helpless, like a baby, on Jennie’s hands. Frail, blind Jennie.”

Jeff had a stroke that made it difficult for him to walk and use his hands, and he realizes that another one might leave him completely bedridden and unable to farm. Jennie’s frailty and blindness mean that she would likely be unable to care for Jeff in the event of another health crisis. This moment reinforces the sheer hopelessness of Jeff and Jennie’s circumstances.

“Now, having suffered and endured the sadness of tearing herself away from beloved things, she showed no anguish. She was absorbed with her own thoughts, and she didn’t even hear Jeff’s voice shouting in her ear.”

While Jeff is expected as a man to be strong and unemotional, Jennie demonstrates a stronger sense of resolve when they are fully confronted with the reality of their suicide pact. Though she feels a sense of grief, she has already made peace with her separation from the world and exhibits the stoicism that Jeff attempted to demonstrate throughout the story.

“The great chamber was, for less than a second, peopled by characters he knew and loved. They were simple, healthy creatures, and they behaved in a manner he could understand. They had quality. But since he had already taken leave of them long ago, the remembrance did not break his heart again.”

Throughout the story, Jeff and Jennie insist that there is nothing left for them in the world, and they have no reason to continue living. As Jeff faces his last moments, he reflects on many of the people he loved throughout his life. Despite these memories, Jeff acknowledges that he lost these beloved friends and family members long ago. This reinforces how alone he and Jennie are in the world.

“If there had been other Mardi Gras carnivals, he had not heard of them. Since then there had been no time; the years had fallen on him like waves. Now he was old, worn out.”

Jeff’s reflections on the events that brought him to Greenbrier Plantation demonstrate the effects of a life filled with tedious, monotonous labor. Since arriving at the plantation, there have been no distinguishing events in his life; rather, he has toiled day in and day out, eventually becoming too old and worn down to continue working.