Hannah Coulter

Hannah shares how she and Nathan built a life together, noting that love is “not a simple thing” (122). Though their relationship wasn’t without its troubles, they always found their way back to intimacy with each other. Just like any partnership, they argued over work and raising the children, but Hannah says that her love for Nathan grew in the paradox that his personality traits that frustrated her also endeared her to him more. She expands on her earlier metaphor, referring to love as a room within a home, realizing that her love for Nathan was otherworldly and that when they were together in harmony, they could set aside the cares of the world and see only each other. Nathan was a gentle, hard-working man who poured himself into transforming their home, and he had great pride in what they had accomplished.

Hannah loves her children and is thankful for them, but they have left home, and Hannah blames it on their decision to attend college, saying, “The way of education leads away from home” (125). Neither she nor Nathan went to college, but Nathan encouraged all three of their children to pursue higher education “to have a better chance” (125).