# Place for a Third explained — New Hampshire

> Chapter companion for New Hampshire by Robert Frost.

## What happens

Eliza, having been married three times to three different men, expresses her dying wish to not be buried with her two previous husbands. Laban, her current husband, initially plans to buy her a separate grave but then considers burying her with her first love, John. He approaches John's sister for permission, but she refuses, citing Eliza's many marriages. Laban ultimately falls back on his original plan to buy Eliza a solitary plot.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Loss

The chapter centers on Eliza's death and the negotiation of her final resting place, highlighting grief and the desire for control over one's legacy.

### Isolation and Community

Eliza's wish to be buried alone contrasts with the communal nature of family plots, and Laban's interactions with John's sister reveal the tensions between individual desire and social expectations.

## Character check-ins

### Eliza

Eliza, having been married three times, expresses her dying wish to not be buried with her previous husbands.

### Laban

Laban, Eliza's current husband, tries to honor her wish by seeking a separate grave or burial with her first love.

### John Smith

John is Eliza's first love, whose grave Laban considers for Eliza's burial.

## Key lines

> Don’t make me lie with those two other women.

Do not bury me with my two previous wives.

_Eliza's direct request to Laban regarding her burial._

> No, not with John. There wouldn’t be no sense. Eliza’s had too many other men.

No, not with John. It wouldn't make sense. Eliza has been with too many other men.

_John's sister refuses Laban's request to bury Eliza with John._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/new_hampshire_se/chapters/place-for-a-third
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/new_hampshire_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/new_hampshire_se/chapters