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Maw
Abbie and Eben conceive a son, known to all as “the baby.” Since Abbie and Eben’s relationship is a secret, they fool Cabot into thinking the baby is his own. And since Cabot had promised to will the farm to Abbie if she gave him a son, Abbie is now positioned to inherit the property—as was her initial plan in marrying Cabot to begin with. At the end of the play, Abbie suffocates the newborn baby using a pillow in an impulsive moment, as she mistakenly thinks that this will prove to Eben that she won’t use the baby as leverage to seize the farm for herself and that she genuinely loves Even.
The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son) Quotes in Desire Under the Elms
The Desire Under the Elms quotes below are all either spoken by The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son) or refer to The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 2: Scene 1
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He bows his head, mumbling. She pretends to do likewise but gives him a side glance of scorn and triumph.
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Part 3: Scene 1
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Let's celebrate the old skunk gittin’ fooled! We kin have some fun now he’s went.
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Part 3: Scene 2
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They grapple in what becomes immediately a murderous struggle. The old man's concentrated strength is too much for Eben. Cabot gets one hand on his throat and presses him back across the stone wall. At the same moment, Abby comes out on the porch. With a stifled cry she runs toward them.
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I wish he never was born! I wish he’d die this minit! I wish I’d never set eyes on him! It’s him—yew havin’ him-a-purpose t’ steal—that’s changed everythin’!
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If I could make it—‘s if he’d never come up between us—if I could prove t’ ye I wa’n’t schemin’ t’ steal from ye—so’s everythin’ could be jest the same with us, lovin’ each other jest the same, kissin’ an’ happy the same’s we’ve been happy afore he come—if I could do it—ye’d love me agen, wouldn’t ye? Ye’d kiss me agen? Ye wouldn’t never leave me, would ye?
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Part 3: Scene 3
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But I’ll take vengeance now! I’ll git the Sheriff! I’ll tell him everythin’!
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I kin hear His voice warnin’ me agen t’ be hard an’ stay on my farm. […] It’s agoin’ t’ be lonesomer now than ever it war afore-an’ I’m gittin’ old […] Waal—what d’ ye want? God’s lonesome, hain’t He? God’s hard an’ lonesome!
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It’s a jim-dandy farm, no denyin’. Wished I owned it!
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Get the entire Desire Under the Elms LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son) Quotes in Desire Under the Elms
The Desire Under the Elms quotes below are all either spoken by The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son) or refer to The Baby (Abbie and Eben’s Son). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: Scene 1
Quotes
He bows his head, mumbling. She pretends to do likewise but gives him a side glance of scorn and triumph.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Scene 1
Quotes
Let's celebrate the old skunk gittin’ fooled! We kin have some fun now he’s went.
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Part 3: Scene 2
Quotes
They grapple in what becomes immediately a murderous struggle. The old man's concentrated strength is too much for Eben. Cabot gets one hand on his throat and presses him back across the stone wall. At the same moment, Abby comes out on the porch. With a stifled cry she runs toward them.
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Explanation and Analysis:
I wish he never was born! I wish he’d die this minit! I wish I’d never set eyes on him! It’s him—yew havin’ him-a-purpose t’ steal—that’s changed everythin’!
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Explanation and Analysis:
If I could make it—‘s if he’d never come up between us—if I could prove t’ ye I wa’n’t schemin’ t’ steal from ye—so’s everythin’ could be jest the same with us, lovin’ each other jest the same, kissin’ an’ happy the same’s we’ve been happy afore he come—if I could do it—ye’d love me agen, wouldn’t ye? Ye’d kiss me agen? Ye wouldn’t never leave me, would ye?
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Part 3: Scene 3
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But I’ll take vengeance now! I’ll git the Sheriff! I’ll tell him everythin’!
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I kin hear His voice warnin’ me agen t’ be hard an’ stay on my farm. […] It’s agoin’ t’ be lonesomer now than ever it war afore-an’ I’m gittin’ old […] Waal—what d’ ye want? God’s lonesome, hain’t He? God’s hard an’ lonesome!
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It’s a jim-dandy farm, no denyin’. Wished I owned it!
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