The German Wife

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, death by suicide, mental illness, and religious discrimination.

Two years after Henry borrowed money from the judge, the drought continues, and the farm is in worse financial shape than ever. The tractor has been repossessed, and they’ve disassembled their Model T Ford to sell the parts. They use the hull of the truck and the horses to plow and travel to town. Dust storms have become a regular occurrence on the farm, and the family has a system to ride them out safely in a bedroom.

One Sunday, the family goes to church, and Lizzie follows Henry outside after the service. She overhears the judge insisting that Henry pay back the loan or else the judge will take their farm. The judge justifies his threat by noting that other loans are being called in and that the economy is in dire straits for everyone. When Lizzie confronts Henry about it later that night, he tells her that he’ll leave the farm and try to earn the money another way, but they both know that there aren’t any jobs.

Henry falls into a depression like his father, hiding in his room and sleeping through everything.