Thinking of his mother’s tendency to burn the Sunday dinner reminds John of his wife’s very different background. Usually, a devout Christian family of John’s day would avoid heavy chores on Sunday, or the Sabbath, but Lila wasn’t raised this way. It’s clear, though, that carrying on these customs is important to her for their son’s sake. She’s even trying to pick up some of John’s literary, tastes such as Donne, but she prefers popular Westerns like John Fox, Jr.’s 1908 romance.