Why are Jack and Mabel emotionally estranged?

[rosmith]

I agree with previous posters that grief caused a certain estrangement. They didn't fully overcome the grief until the end of the book when their two worlds met. That is once Mabel became a part of the land by farming and fishing and united in a different kind of grief with the loss of Faina. This time not a grief of regret. But one with an evolvution of love seen with a 'grandchild'.

[micoleon13]

The division of labor could have resulted from Jack trying to protect Mabel from her inability to handle grief. He may have misinterpreted her delicateness in dealing with grief to another areas of their life too. Husbands sometimes feel duty bound to protect their wives in the best way that they can.

I agree with lilapo9 on this, and the several other comments, so often in grief of losing a child both parents need to deal with it in their own way, while the male tends to want to also protect his partner by giving her space and privacy to grieve. This can lead to what jack and Mabel have where he's focusing on the farm and providing for her and not seeing that they could both benefit from comfort in communication and physical contact.

[Taylor Razzani]

People grieve in different ways, and unfortunately Mabel and Jack have different ways. Luckily at the end Jack is able to comfort Mabel. I would imagine though that what they went through would leave some lasting emotional distance between the two.

[Papiiikay]

Well ,in a conclusion , people grieved in a different ways and also both of them have different characters, but at the end jack was able to care of Mabel and a little distance during the challenges.