How does Jack's mother handle her son's death? How does she shoulder the care for her children and the farm?

Jack's mother, Betty, knows she is responsible for holding everything together. She grieves privately, never in front of the children, in her room at night. She gains weight, and patiently waits for her husband to return. She keeps the farm going with help from her brother-in-laws, her nephews and her son Jack who carries the lion's share of the responsibilities. Betty Hawthorne also has the support of her friends from church and school. These number many and provide physical and emotional support for her.