1. Brave
1.1. Presses on through the storm
1.2. Sticks to his word and unfaltering opinion
1.3. Continues to work throuought dust storm
2. Hidden emotions
2.1. Fear, gentleness, worry
2.1.1. Emotions exhibited in the barn with Bess and Prince
2.1.1.1. Paul feels ashamed when he feels Prince's ribs: he is aware that his inability to feed his horses is the mark of a bad farmer, but would never admit this to Ellen.
2.1.1.2. We see Paul worry and feel anxious about Ellen
2.1.1.2.1. These feelings are contradictory to the way he acts in front of Ellen.
2.1.2. Barn acts as a refuge from the storm and as a place where he can truly be himself
3. Conflict
3.1. Person vs. Person, Person vs. Nature
3.1.1. Paul and Ellen's conflicting desires
3.1.1.1. Ellen wants to leave and go back to town
3.1.1.1.1. Farm life feels hopeless, secluded, and puts her out of her element
3.1.1.2. Paul wants to wait the dust storm out, says it will end soon
3.1.1.2.1. Wants to continue farming despite Ellen's clear unhappiness amd lack of success as a farmer.
3.2. The wind and dust storm
3.2.1. Storm represents the conflict between Paul and Ellen
3.2.1.1. Dust represents Paul's clouded vision of what is to come if things continue on the way they are
3.2.1.2. Fighting winds = Paul and Ellen's different mannerisms and conflicting viewpoints
3.2.2. Wind storm causes Ellen and Paul to fight and argue
4. Stubborn
4.1. Selfish
4.1.1. Refuses to see Ellen's point of view
4.1.1.1. Pride gets in the way of their happiness as a couple as well as their well-being
4.1.2. Prideful
4.1.2.1. Lets his pride blind him from Ellen's mental illness and suffering
4.1.2.2. Desire to be indepentant and to not depend on Ellen's family money
4.2. Wants to continue as a farmer despite obvious evidence that the lifestyle is too challenging
4.2.1. Unfarmable land
4.2.2. Insufficient income
4.2.3. Unable to support livesock
5. Themes
5.1. Isolation
5.1.1. Isolates himself from his wife and child
5.1.2. Emotional isolation - he feels alone without his wife's support and understanding
5.1.3. Isolating lifestyle
5.1.3.1. Living on a farm far from others
5.2. Delusion
5.2.1. Paul is delusional about the state of his marriage
5.2.2. Both Paul and Ellen have delusional and paranoid thoughts about the wind and the storm which symbolize their relationship
5.2.2.1. "...it seemed that this scream of wind was a cry from her parched and frantic lips."