course of the years, Ethan, lonely and miserable, finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful, animated energy. As he walks through town one night, he stops by the church to watch Mattie dance. As he marvels at the young girl's beauty he thinks, "But hitherto the emotion had remained in him as silent ache, veiling with sadness the beauty that evoked it. He did not even know whether any one else in the world felt as he did, or whether any one else in the world felt as he did, or whether he was the sole victim of this mournful privilege"(17). Ethan lives in his own world of silence, where he replaces his scarcity of words with imaginations and fantasies. For years Ethan and his wife live in silence and seclusion. Ultimately, the total lack of communication between the silent couple significantly contributes to their miserable marriage as well as Ethan's inability to act out his emotions. Ethan, accustomed to his silent relationship with his wife, flutters when he meets Mattie and loses complete faith in himself. Fear and doubt overwhelms because love is a new concept to him; a journey he scarcely ventures. Every time Ethan tries to converse with his wife, all he ever hears are her complaints and demands. Thus, he would rather not communicate with her at all. Also, since Zeena looks down on Ethan, he feels that he also must not be worthy enough for Mattie. He believes Zeena's criticisms and they taunt him when he attempts to court Mattie. Ethan further displays uncertainty and shyness by restraining himself from kissing Mattie. The morning after Ethan escorted Mattie home, Ethan's thoughts turn back to last night. As the memory of Mattie's warm shoulder comes back to him, he regrets his failure to kiss her when he had the chance. Ethan, frustrated, asks himself, "Why had he not kissed her when he held her there? . . . a few minutes earlier, when they had stood alone outside the house, he would not have...