Throughout this short story, the main character, Ann, resembles a selfish, frustrated, unhappy and insecure character with a weak personality. She faces some problems with both herself and John, her husband. They do not have a very healthy relationship which leads to John's suicidal death in the end. Should Ann be blamed for John's death.
John is a simple farmer who thinks the only way he can please Ann is by working all day to earn money for her. However Ann would prefer him to spend more time with her, which is a typical housewife demand. That shows her main character trait: selfishness. She is being unfair to him because she wants him to stay next to her all the time while he wants to go work and make money. Once, John goes to his father's house, leaving Ann home alone on a snowy night. She had nothing else on her mind but to think about their relationship. Therefore, their relationship is stressed even further. The terrible snowstorm accentuates Ann's feelings of loneliness, frustration and despair. John's continuous absence and carelessness towards his wife contributed to the tension in their marriage. And Ann is so insecure and weak she can not speak out, therefore weakening their relationship even more. Ann feels that she is unimportant to John because he frequently leaves her alone. She just wants to feel loved by John but because he doesn't make her feel loved, therefore she sees Steven as the only person who can give her the love and affection she needs.
Ann has prior feelings for Steven from when she was still single. It appears that Ann secretly thinks of Steven as her prince charming and her savior. Forgetting the fact that she is married to his friend, Steven takes advantage of her weakness and insecurity in order to satisfy his manly needs. She actually brought it upon herself when she showed Steven signs of an emotional breakdown by looking for a shoulder to cry on, figuratively speaking.
