Poor is a word they never said, or common. But the wife has worked so hard to make her vowels shallower and to lift her r's and to bring back her h's that she hardly speaks anymore; every time she opens her mouth, the farmhouse falls out all over again.
In the narrative, the protagonist's wife is depicted as someone who has exerted immense effort to change her speech and social standing. She tries to suppress her humble origins by altering her pronunciation, aiming for a more refined or polished speech. As a result of her tireless efforts to fit into a different social class, she finds herself almost unable to communicate, revealing the deep struggle between her identity and societal expectations.
The phrase highlights the impact of socioeconomic status on individual identity, particularly through the lens of language. The woman's attempts to disassociate from her past have inadvertently led to a loss of her voice, both literally and metaphorically. Each time she speaks, the remnants of her former life become apparent, symbolizing the conflict between her true self and her desire for acceptance in a world that values different traits.
