Here’s a direct quote from the book what touches on the pairing of Ray and Annie:
Now I stand ready to cut into the cornfield, to chisel away a piece of our livelihood to use as dream currency, and Annie says, “Oh Love, if it makes you happy, you should do it.” I carry her words in the back of my mind, stored the way a maiden aunt might wrap a brooch, a remembrance of a long-lost love. I understand how hard that was for her to say and how it got harder as the project advanced. How she must have told her family not to ask me about the baseball field I was building, because they stared at me dumb-eyed, a row of silent, thickset peasants with red faces. Not an imagination among them except to forecast the wrath of God that will fall on the heads of Pagans such as I.
The book doesn't describe Annie's physical appearance much, but without picking nits Amy Madigan even in a little makeup is a pretty good choice in terms of appearance. Chapter and verse mention something about her having short, curly red hair, green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
You're quite right, actually. Baseball isn't really Annie's thing, but she endures it (goes to games and whatnot) because it makes Ray happy and gives both of them a chance at unfettered, carefree "together time."
Now where building the field is concerned I can't help but think that her viewpoint is something along the lines of, "Well, okay maybe it's not the most wonderful idea since sliced bread to come along. But at least he's not out killing anybody, so what harm is there in at least letting him try?"
Ray sucks at farming, but to say he hasn’t much ambition is a tad harsh. What ambition he has is largely devoted to keeping Annie as happy as he can. Dr. Phil of our own day might argue differently, but in the way of ambitions is that truly a bad thing?
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