What does the crop of wheat represent for Martha in "A Field of Wheat"?

The crop of wheat represents for Martha a promise of financial security and material well-being. Unfortunately for her, it cannot provide her with what she really wants in life, which is love and emotional security. Trapped in a rapidly deteriorating marriage to John, Martha feels increasingly unloved and neglected. The wheat field is an extension of John, and Martha is an extension of John. As the annual harvest is at the mercy of nature, so...

The crop of wheat represents for Martha a promise of financial security and material well-being. Unfortunately for her, it cannot provide her with what she really wants in life, which is love and emotional security. Trapped in a rapidly deteriorating marriage to John, Martha feels increasingly unloved and neglected. The wheat field is an extension of John, and Martha is an extension of John. As the annual harvest is at the mercy of nature, so too is Martha's sense of worth as a wife and mother; the vulnerability of the wheat crop to the uncontrollable forces of nature is paralleled by the chronic insecurity of Martha's existence. She has no control of her life, no way in which she can take control of her own destiny. It's notable that when she does finally break free, the consequences are tragic. We are left with the abiding impression that the identities of rural dwellers are forged by the landscape to such an extent that they cannot truly escape, and that in attempting to do, they are defying the nature by which their whole lives are organized and given shape.