The declining health of Jeff Patton is more extreme than his wife's. Jeff's teeth have almost all fallen out, a stroke has left him with one good leg, and his mental faculties are starting to diminish. He cannot even get his bow tied as he attempts to finish dressing. "Jeff twisted his mouth into a hideous toothless grimace as he contented with the obstinate bow. He stamped his good foot and decided to give up the struggle." (88) Jennie Patton is skinny and blind. The effects from osteoporosis have taken over her bones and joints. She seems more dead than alive. "She h

The deaths of all five of the Patton's children are not only a devastating tragedy themselves, but are compounded by the fact the deaths all occurred within a two-year span. Jeff knows the grief is more than his wife can handle at times. He decides to think about something else. He is concerned he might let thoughts of the tragedy slip out while talking to his wife. " A woman like Jennie could not easily throw off the grief that comes from losing five grown children within two year. Even Jeff was still staggered by the blow." (91) The reader never learns the details of this tremendous loss the Patton's have experienced. It only helps to give a better understanding as to why Jeff and Jennie's could choose death instead of life.

Once settled into the car, Jeff is able to reflect back on all the hard and unfair labor he was subjected to as a sharecropper of cotton. "He could not help but reflecting that the crops were good. He knew what that meant too; he had made forty-five of them with his own hands." (93) He

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 685
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)