Throughout the play, the mood is resigned, depressed, and oppressive as the audience observes the harsh toll that farm life takes on the characters and the consequences of their irrational, angry actions. The characters go to great lengths to claim ownership of the farm—a seemingly futile act. As the audience watches the tragedy unfold, an oppressive and hopeless mood prevails as the cycle of violence continues.
The mood becomes especially tense in part three when the reader knows the new baby is Eben’s but Cabot remains ignorant. Throughout the party, the tensions build as the townspeople and the Fiddler tease Cabot and Abbie. Readers brace for the eventual conflict, which becomes even more tense and depressing when Eben and Abbie fight and Abbie eventually murders her child. The tension is palpable in the party scene when Cabot becomes increasingly more drunk and performs a wild dance, insulting the Fiddler and the townspeople:
He pours whisky for himself and fiddler. They drink. The others watch Cabot silently with cold, hostile eyes. There is a dead pause. The fiddler rests. Cabot leans against the keg, panting, glaring around him confusedly. In the room above, Eben gets to his feet and tiptoes out the door in rear, appearing a moment later in the other bedroom.
These stage directions contribute to the oppressive and tense mood. The townspeople watch Cabot “silently with cold, hostile eyes,” creating an eerie and awkward silence. Cabot is confused and “panting,” the only person in the room unaware of what is really going on. His obvious discomfort is unsettling, and the silence in the room feels oppressive to the audience.
After the dust has settled and all the information is revealed at the end of the play, the mood returns to being somber and resigned: Cabot is left feeling alone and distraught, and Eben and Abbie go to jail. This mood is highlighted by the sheriff’s final comment: “It’s a jim-dandy farm, no denyin’. Wished I owned it!.” Given that the characters have committed such violence to get to this point only to fail and hurt their own situations, this ironic final statement leaves the audience feeling resigned and depressed.
