What does Marietta think of Jolene?

Although Jolene and Marietta had never been close friends, Marietta seems to sympathize a bit with the situation Jolene finds herself in. Jolene is described as a pie-faced, heavy girl who has no way of improving her situation in life. She marries New Hardbine because he was the one who payed attention to her and it didn't matter to her that he was paying attention to her for the wrong reasons. Marietta understands that Jolene is trapped by the circumstances of her family and community. In a way, Jolene is a foil to Marietta emphasizing that Marietta does not want to be trapped in Pittman County.