Steinbeck depicts Henry and Elisa’s marriage as lukewarm and strained as a result of a lack of physical affection. Elisa is described as a strong, lean woman of thirty-five years of age (Steinbeck 227). Despite her health and age, Elisa has borne Henry no children. Either the couple cannot have children, which understandably throws a wrench in their relationship, or they do not sleep together. Either way, Elisa and Henry’s relationship is suffering. This couple never show love through physical affection. The only physical contact between Elisa and Henry in the duration of the story is a pat on the knee (Steinbeck 233). They never exchange hugs or kisses. Elisa’s body is described as rigid when she interacts with Henry (Steinbeck 233). When …show more content…
When Matt comes home from work, Daisy is snappish because she had a hard day with Donny (Tyler 187). She never hugs or kisses her husband. As Donny’s grades drop and his behaviour worsens, Daisy puzzles over what she did wrong as a mother. She wonders if she should “hug him more” (Tyler 188). Ironically, Tyler never mentions any displays of physical affection between Daisy and Donny. When Cal “cuffs Donny’s shoulder playfully”, Donny flushes and grins (Tyler 188). Moments later, Donny returns to his “old evasive self” when Daisy asks him about Cal (Tyler 188). Daisy never offers Donny any encouragement through a hug. When Daisy first sees Donny after he is expelled, her first response is a cold greeting: “Hello Donny” (Tyler 191). She does not offer him any demonstrative care through a pat on the shoulder, a squeeze of the hand, or even a hug. At the conclusion of the story, Daisy tries to figure out “what went wrong” and “where they made their first mistake” (Tyler 192). Daisy and Matt fail as parents when they stop showing Donny they care about him through displays of physical affection. They might verbally praise him but a simple hug can communicate much more than mere words. Donny is a teenage boy starving for a physical display of his parents’ love. The lack of physical displays of affection between the Cobles