Contrary to the usual plot structure that dominates the rhythm of a novel, Stegner saves the most intense conflicts for the final chapters, creating an open-ended conclusion that forces characters and readers alike to sit with the discomfort of a series of events that collectively refuse to provide a definitive moral or meaning. While such an ending flies in the face of conventional storytelling, it attempts to create a more realistic portrayal of life’s many “loose ends” and conflicting worldviews, and nowhere are such conflicts more prominent than when people struggle to assign meaning to life in the face of impending death. Knowing that her time is short, Charity is intent on preserving the order that she has fought to create in her life, and this impetus compels her to exert her will on those around her, compounding the dynamics that her loved ones most resented in years past. However, her imminent death grants her a degree of immunity, and although Sid chafes under her dictates, he knows that he has become dependent upon Charity’s ways, and he does not want to refuse her last wish: that he and the others go on with the traditional family picnic for her birthday, even in her absence. Although the other three characters object to what they see as an absurd whim on Charity’s part, the underlying narrative patterns imply that this situation is merely an extreme version of the dynamics and habits that have persisted for decades in Sid and Charity’s marriage. 

In this light, Sid’s intense frustration reflects a lifetime of acceding to his wife’s demands, and his latest acquiescence also reflects his sense of powerlessness in the dynamics of their marriage. On one hand, he believes he has no right to flout her will in this matter, but on the other hand, he also harbors a deep resentment over her determination to strip him of any control over how the final moments of their marriage will play out. For Sid, Charity is characteristically attempting to exert control over a situation that she ought not to. For Charity, however, the rituals and traditions she has set for her family are her legacy, and no one, not even she herself, is allowed to violate these standards. 

In the novel’s final scenes, as Charity attempts to direct and control her loved ones’ lives despite her imminent passing, Sid leaves the house suddenly, walking alone into the woods. His abrupt departure signals his wordless rejection of Charity’s final demands, but even now, the unfolding events can only be relayed through Larry’s own biased perspective as he quietly reflects on how Sid is trying to best preserve these last moments. In his own mind, Larry is torn between trying to fulfill Charity’s final wishes and trying to help Sid through this difficult time. However, as always, Larry is also beset with thoughts of himself, musing, “You can’t be close to the mortality of friends without being brought to think of your own” (325). Significantly, this point leads him to think of Sally, whose health his also failing, and as he considers how lost he would be without her, the novel’s conclusion becomes a morose contemplation on all of life’s myriad complexities, regrets, and moments both fulfilled and unfinished.