What does Josephine represent in the story? What does Richards represent?

Both Josaphine and Richards play a relatively minor role in the story. Really they kind of represent the reader. They were bystanders who, like us, would interpret the woman's response to her husband's demise as grief. They support what we all think was the case never suspecting that the her cries were actually of happiness.

Josephine and Richards represent the gender sterotypical response to pain. Josephine is overly emotional and Richards is mourning but he will not show it.