How do Mr. and Mrs. Jordan's reactions to their circumstances impact their marriage in the novel, Walker Brothers Cowboy?

Mr. and Mrs. Jordan's different reactions to hard times impact their marriage—and their interaction with the world. One senses the strain between Mr. and Mrs. Jordan as Mr. Jordan tries to attenuate the burden of their financial position on his wife. He makes up songs about being a Walker Brothers salesman, which Mrs. Jordan dismisses as a pedlar's song. Similarly, the smaller creature comforts, like milk in bottles, movie theatres, and a restaurant hold no magic for Mrs. Jordan; she is inconsolable about the family's financial state. Yet, this attitude tends to remove Mrs. Jordan more and more from the world. She cannot empathize with others and becomes increasingly withdrawn. The fact that Mrs. Jordan cannot be grateful that her husband has a job during this time is indicative of her own limited view of the world. Indeed, as their daughter explains, "[her] mother has no time for the national calamity, only ours . . . and the only way to take this as she sees it, is with dignity, with bitterness, and no reconciliation."

In this manner, a familial financial setback has really exposed other, larger issues between Mr. and Mrs. Jordan. Yet it is clear that while Mrs. Jordan would rather hang on to her depressed state, Mr. Jordan still attempts to expose his children to a more well-rounded view of the world.