In this chapter Eric seems to be fighting the winter blues. First he almost feels the need to justify himself in front of the wealthy man that bought a jar of molasses, feeling that he might have been perceived as a poor, lonesome “Amish”. Is it possible that he may be a little embarrassed of his current state? He also feels inappropriate around Sylvan, the one that has helped him a lot so far, being worried that the men might dislike him, considering him to be a freeholder, and possibly trying to make some money off of him. Then Mary gets upset at him for leaving the meat outside where the dog could steal it, despite her warnings.
Although irrelevant, I thought it was kind of funny how they couldn’t distinguish the chicken from the pork jars. It reminded me of Jessica Simpson’s famous line: “Is this chicken or fish?” The struggle with the chicken and smaller pot demoralized both Eric and Mary.
Having unsuccessfully tried to shake his blues by inviting himself for a game of bridge over at some acquaintances', towards the end of the chapter Eric is able to find a source of joy in sharing work with one of the Miller’s younger sons, Caleb. Maybe the slow pace of the season's activities is what caused his depression in the first place.
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