Harry Black is a married man and a father who works as a machinist in a factory. His wife, Mary, dismisses his odd behavior as Harry being “funny sometimes” (65). In reality, Harry’s head is filled with sexual thoughts and unspoken loathing for Mary. When they go to bed together, he hopes that she will leave him alone and fall asleep. When they do have sex, he has many violent thoughts. Mary enjoys his roughness, while Harry is “physically numb” and resentful. All he can do is “endure the nausea and slimy disgust” (67). He no longer cries about his predicament, but he deliberately gives himself muscle cramps so he can distract himself with the physical pain. He leaves his wife in bed and chain smokes cigarettes alone in the dark kitchen. Eventually, he returns to bed and falls asleep.

Harry endures another night of the same violent nightmares that have plagued him for a long time. He wakes up and goes to the factory, where he works on a lathe. Harry is bad at his job and dedicates more time to the workers’ union than the factory work. Because of his involvement in the union, the bosses cannot fire him for his mediocrity.